Digimon: The Rise of Kronosmon
by DragonTamer222
Summary: A tamer has been thrown into an adventure unlike she's ever seen before. With the help of her partner digimon and her friends, she will discover a new world created by her parents, and try to discover who Kronosmon really is.
1. Chapter 1: When One Door Closes

Hey everyone. Man, it's been a while since I've submitted a story onto this site. I'm hoping this digimon fan fic will work out well. I've gotten a few chapters done already, and I'm going to see if I can get anyone interested in this little piece. I don't own digimon, the only ones I do are the ones that are made up (Kronosmon, Dramon, etc.) Well, here goes nothing. Wish me luck XD Feedback is great, comments, criticism, I enjoy reading it all!

* * *

**Digimon: The Rise of Kronosmon**

**Chapter 1: **When One Door Closes, Another Opens

The overbearing silence of the Digital Arena was too much for the crowd as they watched the two combatants face each other with grim determination written on both of their faces. The youngest of the two, a boy just starting his teen years, gazed intently down at a watch-like device that covered his wrist. His forefinger lingered over a square button, but he cast his hesitation aside and pushed it down.

A series of beeps and clicks punctuated the quiet and small multicolored particles flew up from a device on the floor, casting a rainbow of colors on the ground around it. Some of the fragments began to connect in order to form a body along with arms and legs. A reptilian head rested upon the newly formed shoulders and a stiff, green-spiked tail formed on the rear of the image.

Everyone 'ooh'ed as the red and white t-rex stomped a gargantuan foot against the ground and belted out an earthshaking roar. Its blue eyes narrowed as it gazed down at the slim figure that stood just a few large steps ahead of him. It would have unnerved anyone who stared into those menacing, slitted orbs.

That was…everyone but the seventeen year old girl who stared back with a courage that paled in comparison to men that were much older than her. She knew every single creature in this game, its strengths and weaknesses, its programmed personality. It was what made her a champion to the eyes of all kids that were watching, young and old alike.

As she looked at her own metallic blue watch, she pressed an arrow-shaped key on the device and than pressed the activator button. Similar sparks flew above the ground, only these ones converged into smaller limbs. Two muscular forelegs and two strong hind legs touched the ground to reveal the support for the creature that was to be revealed. A long body connected to a flexible tail appeared upon the legs, which soon began to be covered by gleaming red scales. As the neck formed, spike-like stripes appeared as some scales turned black in color. Upon the neck came a reptilian head with a long snout. Sharp teeth poked from the upper and lower lips of the maw and two black horns stretched from the sides of the skull. Two gleaming emerald eyes shot open, the pupils wide and alert.

From between the horns, a row of small, triangular spikes began to run down the creature's neck, along its spine, and ending at the tip of the tail of which formed a sharp spade-like spike. Upon the shoulders, two large limbs formed on the side, one stretching straight out while the other grew towards the t-rex. Small rib-like appendages grew from the mainstay and a dark red membrane grew between. At the tip of the wings, two claw-like struts formed which flexed as the dragon spread his great wings to the side, revealing the flight tools in all of their glory.

"You're sending out a rookie to take out a champion?" A voice shouted from the crowd, "No way can you win!"

The girl closed her chestnut eyes and the corner of her mouth lifted in a grin, "You know little of power…" she whispered softly as she slowly lowered her hand to her side, "Size doesn't make power, nor does brute strength alone. Power is what is given when you share a bond with the creature you raise, so that you can learn all of its traits: its pros and cons, its strengths and weaknesses. Only than can you realize what power truly is…" She snapped out of her thoughts and tore her glance upward, "Dramon! Brace yourself for an attack!" she shouted, not to the voice sensor that rested on her watch, but to the creature itself.

To those closest to her in the arena, it appeared as if the dragon could really understand. It dug its ivory claws into the ground and bent its elbows and knees to use them against the force. The larger digimon before them thumped its tail against the ground and released another shattering roar.

"Tyrannomon, use your primary attack! Send that dragon to oblivion!"

The T-rex planted its feet firmly against the ground and held his head up in the air as a ball of red fire began to form within its fanged maw. As the flame grew bigger, tongues of fire snaked out of the dinosaur's partially opened mouth, foreshadowing the strike that was to come.

"Fire Blast!"

As the creature cried out its signature attack, it clenched its fore claws and leaned forward before propelling the huge fireball out of its mouth. As it soared dangerously towards the small dragon before it, Dramon's eyes narrowed and it leaned back slightly and turned his head before the blast hit him full on. After it slid over him, the attack flew towards the girl who held her arms in front of her eyes as the illusionary flames engulfed her, leaving no mark upon her where the fire struck. The crowd sat on the edges of their seats as they watched the flames clear, and all gasped in amazement as they saw the small dragon standing straight with no signs of injury upon him.

More bustled voices came to the girl's hearing, "Wow! A rookie withstood a champion attack!"

"Dramon? Has anyone heard of that digimon before?"

"That Tyrannomon's going down! That there is Adrianna and Brian's' kid, Amanda Dracoanas!"

The girl smiled and brushed a few of the golden brown strands of her hair away from her eyes as she looked at the creature before her, "All right, Dramon, you did great so far!"

The dragon nodded in agreement. Even though he wasn't a real living, breathing creature, her parents programmed him to respond to multiple commands, "Now, let's show him what true power is, take flight and prove once again that even a kid could defeat a giant!"

The small dragon lowered himself to the ground so his belly nearly touched the soft dirt floor of the coliseum. His outspread wings began to beat, slowly at first, than gaining in speed as he prepared to take off. The simulated wind from the flaps caused the sand around him to fly around in a whirlwind, and in a giant leap, he escaped the dust in order to take to the skies.

The tyrannosaurus watched his prey with a vacant expression, wondering what kind of damage a small bug like that could do to him. His summoner was also as impartial to the strength of the rookie. It just didn't look that threatening.

The small dragon slowly glided towards the dinosaur, small sparks flashing within his open mouth. With his claws clenched, he inhaled a deep breath of air and emitted a large stream of fire that completely enveloped the large dinosaur below, which bellowed out in pain as sparks flew off of its body.

The boy stared in disbelief as the large t-rex slowly began to disintegrate. The sparks flew again from the ground, this time taking darker colors such as black and red, and a deafening applause shattered the suspenseful air that had taken place just seconds before.

"And our continuing champion is, Amanda Dracoanas and her partner Dramon!"

The girl clicked another button on her watch and Dramon disappeared in a flurry of gold and white sparks that circled him even while he was in flight. He too vanished as well, but in a more glorious way, his wings splayed out and a triumphant roar echoed through the fading applause.

As the audience began to file out of their seats in the coliseum, Amanda walked up to the boy who sat in the dirt, his knee bent with his arm hanging limply upon it.

"How…? How could I be defeated by a rookie? I trained that Tyrannomon for months on my Watch. But it was no good." The boy muttered as he kept his eyes trained on the dirt.

"No, you did a great job." The champion said as she knelt down beside the boy, getting her own jeans dirty along with him to prove their equality, "Not many kids around your age and older could do what you did. You got as far as to challenge me, and trust me, I fought the same competitors you did, and I had troubles with them along the way."

"You mean…" the boy looked up at her with hope shining in his blue eyes, "You mean that you started off the same way as well? Just like me?"

Amanda smiled and nodded before picking up a handful of the sand beneath them, "Yes, just like you. Just think, with just a little time," she let the sand slip through a hole in her enclosed fist until there was none left, "You could be the champion. Maybe even better than what I can ever be."

The boy looked down at the pile of sand beneath her fist and than looked back up at her, noticing that she was now standing with her hand offered down to his, "So, are you going to stand up and train harder?" she asked with a slight twitch of her hand.

The boy looked at it and than nodded before grabbing it and allowing her to bring him back to his feet. The two patted the other on the shoulder while they grasped hands and they broke away and went their separate ways, both feeling a sense of accomplishment as they left the arena behind.

* * *

_*Beep…Beep…*Custom data ready. Is User ready to activate?_

"Yes, activate the Celestial Caves now."

_Action loading….download is complete. The Celestial Caves are now created._

"Good, now we only have one last level to create and our virtual digital world will be complete."

The clicking of the buttons on a keyboard struck in a continuous cycle as the male scientist switched glances between his quickly moving fingers and the wide, wall-sized screen before him. Behind him, a similarly dressed woman stood before her own computer, using a stylus upon a smaller black screen on the control panel to create pictures on the larger screen. These two-dimensional pictures took on the forms of random creatures. Some were furry while others were scaled, some were humanoid while others were more animal-like, and many other different variations took form with the woman's creativity.

When she was done drawing the first sketches of the monsters, she pressed a button and more realistic versions took their place. With a few quick clicks of a mouse at her side, she assigned certain textures and colors to each of the creatures, giving each one a unique presence. She stepped back a bit to survey her work and approved it with a nod before pressing a button beside the black screen, causing a download bar to appear.

_Digimon set 500 loading…_

The bar didn't take too long to fill, and the woman smiled with satisfaction as the computer spoke out, _Download Complete_

"Brian, the last of the digimon are created. How's the last setting coming along?" the woman asked as she placed her fair hand upon his shoulder.

Her husband reached over and patted her hand with his own and continued typing, "It's almost done." His fingers flew effortlessly across the keyboard as the last commands were put in, "We're just about…finished!"

_*Beep…Beep…* Custom data ready. Is User ready to Activate?_

"So Adrianna, are you ready to see our creation?" Brian asked as he held her hand tightly, bringing it up to his lips and gently planting a kiss upon it.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She replied with a smile, her brown eyes gleaming with anticipation. She waited a long time for this day, the day that would make everything they did with the Digimon Advance game worth while.

Brian turned to the computer and said in a strong voice, "Yes, computer, activate the Chronos Lab set now."

The computer once again showed the loading data, but oddly enough, the mechanical voice didn't speak out once again. Instead, a low humming sound filled the room and the florescent lights began to flicker a few times before they completely burnt out.

Adrianna gasped as the darkness consumed her and her husband and she clung tightly to his arm, "Brian, what's going on?" she asked, the panic she felt welling up inside her throat cut her voice short.

"I…I don't know." He said as he looked around, groping for the switch that would turn the generator on. An empty click followed as he flipped the switch. Nothing happened.

Adrianna began to shiver as she pointed to the screen, "What's that?"

Brian turned his hazel eyes towards the computer, only to see a red pulsating blot appear on the large screen. It appeared as if the sides of the screen were melting into the red mass, causing swirls of crimson and black to overtake the screen.

"Pathetic humans…" fluttered a whispering voice within the room. With a sense of foreboding, Brian wrapped his arms around his wife for her protection as the voice continued, "You should have realized that your creations had an intelligence that could disperse your control. Finally, you have provided me with the technology I need to be reborn. Now, you are going to make me new, so that I may control this world."

The two scientists could only watch in fear as three metal claws slowly surfaced from the computer. They were attached to an arm that was tattered and worn, which leaked data from the large gaps in its armor. Brian looked around for something to use to attack it, but no loose object was in the room with them.

"Time to say goodbye to the world you knew, and say hello to mine!"

The claws lashed out and ensnared the couple before pulling them into the computer. The two held each other in a final embrace before they were pulled into the red mass, not knowing what would be revealed on the other side.

They felt a cold feeling as they passed through, and they saw a bright, blinding light flash before them. Then, darkness took over their senses…

* * *

The sun was just sinking over the horizon as Amanda Dracoanas cut through the park on the outskirts of the city. The occasional chatter of a squirrel or the singing of a bird usually caught her attention, but it didn't disturb her thoughts on the battle that took place an hour ago.

Even though she was a bit proud of her rank as the top duelist within the whole United States, she felt that she only got that rank from the modifications that her parents programmed into her D-watch. She had made up her digimon, yes, but she didn't know it would turn out stronger than the usual digimon that she challenged. It seemed that her parents wanted her to win at all costs, but what was the fun in that?

A small sigh escaped her lips and she slowly lifted her head to gaze up at the few stars that managed to shine through the fading light. Life was kind of hard for her, though none of her fans would know it. Her parents were never home, for they were working on a project that seemed to take a toll on both their bodies and minds. Whenever they came home in the middle of the night they would go to bed with no spoken "hello" to her or any sort of greeting, and would wake up earlier than her in the morning to continue their work. It seemed that they didn't even care that she existed, just as long as they could get their big money making program working.

The girl shook her head and wiped away a tear that streamed down her face. She wanted parents like the ones she saw at the arena who would bring their kids with them wherever they went, who would embrace their children when they were feeling down, or pat them on the back for something they did right. She would even be satisfied if she could see their faces, unmarked by exhaustion or disappointment.

She was just in the center of the park, the rays of moonlight caressing her face, when a shadowy figure emerged from behind a tree a few yards ahead of her. When her eyes darted to the right, she could see another, and to the left was one more who joined the first two. She backed up a bit as the figures stood together and walked towards her, and she could see in the moonlight their fancy black suits and the dark sunglasses that hid their eyes from view.

"Ahh, Ms. Dracoanas. We thought we'd find you here." The man in the middle said as he folded his arms over his chest in a carefree attitude, "We are sad to inform you that your parents have both gone missing from their lab."

The news struck her like a bolt of lightning. Her face grew pale, but common sense overtook panic. She couldn't believe everything she was told.

"What do you mean, missing?" she asked with a hint of venom in her voice. Whoever these men were, she didn't know if they could be trusted. She had never seen them before, and who in their right mind would confront a seventeen year old girl in the dark?

The man stepped forward, gently lifting his sunglasses over his head to reveal two ice-blue eyes that gleamed eerily, almost cat-like, in the darkness. "We mean that your parents are no where to be found. We presume that they might not be living any longer. We did see a bit of blood on the ground…" he took in her frightened glance and he took his glasses off completely before continuing, "All of the evidence within the room shows there was a struggle. The computer screen they were working at is cracked, and large scratch marks are marked on the walls, obviously made by a sharp steel object."

"You're lying!" Amanda snarled as she took another step back, her eyes growing misty with tears, "I don't believe you! Who are you and why are you here? I won't believe a word you say until you reveal yourself!"

One of the men reached behind his ear, he obviously had a headset on, and muttered some inaudible words within a small microphone that rested before his mouth.

"That was the boss," He said as he turned to his partners before addressing the teen girl, "He said he wants to speak with you about some business from the Matrix Labs that your parents were working on."

Something within Amanda's memory clicked and she clenched a fist before pointing an accusing finger at the men, "You! You're working for Digital Destinies! You're the ones that my parents warned me about! You were always after their technology in order to make money for your own company." She backed off and her eyes narrowed, "You guys are thieves and crooks! I'll never believe you!"

The lead man smirked as he stepped closer to her, a glint of greed shining in his eyes, "Very observative, but believe it or not, your parents are long gone, and you're coming with us whether you like it or not."

"Forget it!" Amanda screamed before she turned around and hightailed it out of the danger zone.

Though the men were much bigger and stronger than her, she knew she was faster than them, and because of her daily walks, she was just as fit. Once she made it home, she could tell her parents that they were after her, and maybe they could do something about it. How could those men even think about telling her that they were missing?

But what if her parents weren't there when she got home? What if they were still at the lab? What if the men were telling the truth? She shuddered at the thought.

She heard the men shouting behind her, and she quickened her pace. She wasn't about to doubt their motives of bringing her to their boss by force. Her parents had warned her many times about rival companies that would resort to kidnapping in order to get the information needed. Her parents' data was so high tech that they created a system that would only allow the family in to access it. No way could she allow them to use that technology.

Amanda had run for almost two miles when she came to the small rural town that she lived in. A quick glance behind her revealed that the two larger men of the group were hot on her trail.

She saw the familiar two-story house that she lived in, and relief flooded through her. She stopped at the door, threw it open and went inside, and than slammed it behind her while locking all of the deadbolts and chain locks that covered the door. As her breathing came in large gasps, she turned to look at the time. It was 7:00, not even close to the time to when her parents were home.

She felt completely miserable with her sweat-drenched hair and her sore legs as she grabbed the phone and collapsed upon the couch. She didn't really care now if the men broke through; she just really needed to rest right now.

Halfheartedly, she dialed the number of her parents' lab in the phone and clicked the remote control with her other hand, causing the television screen before her to flash to life. The phone rang as the news came on, and she impatiently tapped her fingers upon the remote, not knowing that she turned the volume to an audible level.

Amanda rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling while the phone rang. She alternated listening to the phone and the news, in case anything interesting was on.

"…and now, Breaking News from the Matrix Labs. There seemed to have been an attack in the Finishing Department earlier today. Adrianna and Brian Dracoanas, the lead experts in the Digital Technologies Field, are both reported missing…"

The phone fell from the girl's sweat-drenched hands and her heart skipped a beat as she turned to look at the TV. The sight she saw was unbearable, unbelievable, and the words fell upon her ears, turning her heart to ice.

The lab that her parents had always been working in was completely demolished, just as the men in black said. The walls had been scratched up so badly that large gouges covered random points, usually three long ones parallel to each other, as if a giant animal had scratched them on there. The computer screens all looked like the insides exploded, for shattered glass stretched as far as you could see. The main computer had a large crack upon it that webbed into all directions. It was the only monitor that wasn't completely destroyed.

The whole sight was unbelievable, and Amanda grew paler and paler by the minute as she watched the sight. She didn't want to believe it, but the proof was right before her. Now, she was all alone in her house while a bunch of corporate creeps were trying to break in to kidnap her. Things couldn't get any worse…

The front door shook with each pound upon it, but the strong oak barrier held firm. She had to find someone to help…she remembered some family friends of hers that were on vacation in Paris. She had to contact them and find out if they knew what she should do.

It only took her a brief second to whip out the laptop from beneath the glass coffee table that stood in front of the couch. She wanted to stay downstairs so she could keep an eye on the door in case she had to block it even more. For now, the locks were definitely holding out, as if they were built for this kind of thing.

"It wouldn't surprise me…" she muttered as she started up the computer, "Mom and Dad were probably ready for this kind of emergency…I really wish I knew what happened."

The screen blinked on and her fingers were already flying across the keyboard in order to log on. Even though the laptop was the latest and greatest, it seemed to load slowly as the banging on the door became more frequent and much louder.

She quickly clicked onto her instant messenger of choice and looked at the screen. Unfortunately, the only family she knew outside of her own wasn't on at the time. She blinked as an unfamiliar screen name appeared: Kronos.

**Kronos**: If you wish to survive, listen to what I have to say.

Amanda blinked as the window popped up. Frowning, she began to type back, wondering what she was getting herself into.

**DragonTamer: **Survive? How do you know about my current situation?

**Kronos: **There is no time to explain…Take your watch and look on the back of it.

She did as he said and clipped the device off of her wrist and turned it around, letting it fall limp in her hand. She saw a small brown screen, sort of like the fingerprint indicators that many security devices have, and she placed her forefinger upon it.

**Kronos: **I figured you would have found the security device. Now just wait a moment.

The watch seemed to take on a mind of its own as it slid over her arm and wrapped tightly around her wrist. The metal clasp clicked together and began to harden, as well as the rest of the leather strap, causing the device to become more of a shackle. Amanda gasped and tried to take it off, and her attention was drawn to the new text on the computer.

**Kronos: **It'll attach to your wrist permanently, but don't worry, it won't hurt you.

"Nice to tell me now…" She whispered, feeling her heart settle down from the shock.

Suddenly, the computer screen went completely black and the whirring of the machine completely stopped before any more advice could be given.

"Oh, come on!" she shouted as she slammed the sides of the screen. Nothing happened, so she tried to turn it back on…no effect.

Than, a small pinprick of light appeared in the middle of the screen; growing larger and larger as the seconds slowly slipped by. Her attention was torn from the computer as the door slammed down, allowing the corporate workers to file in swiftly. She was soon surrounded. The three men must have called for reinforcement…ten gun barrels were pointing at her head and every forefinger was resting on a trigger.

The leader of the group stepped forward, glaring down at her from his position in front of the laptop, and the coffee table, "Nice try, girl, but you're coming with us. Or would you prefer having ten bullets embedded in your skull?"

Her eyes darted from the man to the computer screen. The light had become larger and within a white box were the words, "_To achieve survival, press enter._"

Slowly, her hand drifted to the keyboard, and she kept her eyes on the muzzle of the gun. The man noticed the motion of her hand and he cocked his weapon, "Don't you dare press that button!"

Ignoring his warning, she quickly pushed her forefinger down upon the "enter" key. Instead of feeling the intense pain of bullets ripping through her, she felt a strange numbing sensation flow through her as she was engulfed in a bright light.

* * *

There were flashes of color that darted before her vision as the feeling of falling overcame her senses. Her stomach seemed to have been left in the space above her. She couldn't tell if she was falling up or down, or to the left or the right. All she was aware of was her state of being, and the fact that something large and green was beginning to grow closer and closer. It didn't take long before the air around her became blue, and small dark specks on the green land beneath her took the form of trees.

"Oh…crud." The girl muttered before she threw her arms out before her face, as if bracing for impact.

However, as she drew closer to the ground, she felt herself lose momentum, almost as if she were hovering to a stop. She threw her body back to get her feet beneath her and watched in amazement as they alighted gently on the ground. She took a moment to take a breath to settle her frantically beating heart.

She had no idea where she was, or how she got here in the first place. She looked around at her surroundings, taking in the vast forest to her right, at the trees that grew close together, their branches weaving in and out of each other to make a tent-like canopy. As her eyes turned to the left, she saw a large, grassy plain. The landscape wasn't flat like many types of grassland, this one rolled and dipped like the surface of an ocean, each wave of grass a different shape and size than others. She was awestruck at the site, yet it seemed almost…familiar.

All of the exhaustion she had felt earlier had all vanished, leaving her energized and ready to take on anything. So, ready to exert that energy, she stretched out and sat upon the ground to contemplate.

As she rested her head upon the soft grass, she gazed up at the blue sky, thinking about the events that had happened so far. The last duel she had, the disappearance of her parents, the attack from Digital Destinies…Than the arrival here from her computer. Could this possibly be the computer program that her Mom and Dad were working on?

She breathed in the fresh air and felt the gentle blades of grass against her arms. If this was the program they created, than her parents had really outdone themselves.

She was just about to close her eyes for a small rest when an earsplitting screech shook the ground beneath her. With lightning reflexes, she leapt to her feet and covered her head as a large red bird swooped from the sky, blasting her with a strong gust of wind. Amanda lowered her arm from her eyes before she turned to see the creature that attacked her. Her feet moved a step back as the creature hovered in the air and turned around to look at her with gleaming red eyes which glared down at her above a tooth-lined beak.

"A…Birdramon?" Her eyes widened in shock as the bird flapped its fiery wings, allowing it to take a higher position over the girl below. Its body flashed with an occasional flare, and its razor-sharp talons flexed open and shut, ready to strike at the enemy below.

"Meteor Wing!" The large bird spread its large wings as it screeched a barely audible phrase and gave one strong beat of the large wings. Amanda gave a weak scream of fear and threw her hands in front of her face as a barrage of fireballs came from the wings of the beast. Her legs fell beneath her and she tightly closed her eyes, expecting any moment the impact of the attack upon her.

It never came.

Instead, a high-pitched voice with a slight growl to it shouted above the crackling of flames, "Doragon Flame!"

Amanda chanced a peek beneath her outstretched arms only to see a mass of red scales standing before her. She lowered her guard and started as she saw a small black-striped dragon before her. She could see that its jaws were open and a stream of flames were pouring from its mouth, counteracting the flames of the bird.

"D…Dramon?"

There was no mistaking it; those tiger-like stripes covering its muscled form, those strong, membranous wings which spread out defensively before her, and those emerald eyes which gleamed with so much protectiveness, and so much character.

Amanda could feel the heat of the intense flames beat against her, but she was too awestruck to move to safer ground. When the dragon's flames destroyed all of the bird's, his mouth snapped shut, and his lips curled up in a ferocious snarl which revealed his gleaming white fangs. His arms and legs spread out a bit and his claws dug softly into the ground, as he was bracing himself. Once again, his mouth opened and a ball of energy began to form within. It started out as a small ball, not even the size of a pebble, but it grew larger and larger with time, and soon the edges were illuminating his mouth, casting a frightening light upon his eyes.

"Inferno Force!"

Dramon gently pushed himself back and shot his neck forward as he released the beam of energy towards the flying digimon. Birdramon only had time to scream in fear and fly clumsily backwards before the attack struck true right in the monster's chest. The attack pushed the creature back, scattering a few small flames from where it hit, and than pushed all the way through. Birdramon shrieked in unbearable pain and began to disintegrate into tiny particles which scattered every which way. Amanda watched as the beam died out and the dragon clamped its mouth shut once again, a triumphant smile written across its face.

When the dragon turned around, Amanda couldn't help but smile in amazement at how real he looked, much more than those holograms she used in the duels. He sat down upon his haunches, as if examining her, and she slowly inched towards him on her knees. She reached out an arm towards his snout and allowed her fingers to gently caress the hard, smooth scales that covered his nose. Then, with tears slowly rolling down her face, she wrapped her arms around the dragon's neck, allowing herself to cry for both herself, and for the shocking discovery about her parents.

And Dramon, his search for his tamer finally over, reached a claw across her back, and returned the embrace.


	2. Chapter 2: The Mighty Clash

Me again. Wow, I actually got a response to my first chapter O.o that's a good sign! I've never felt so happy in my life ^.^ (Yes, Tamersten, I'm talking to you). Since I got my first review of the story, I'm gonna post up Chapter 2! Hope you like it. This is where the real fun begins XD

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**Chapter 2: **The Mighty Clash

"So Dramon, how do you think I got here?" Amanda asked as she pushed away a tree branch from in front of her, "I mean, I know that my parents planned this all, which is why I didn't freak out so much when you stood in front of me." A chuckle escaped from her lips, and the small dragon turned his emerald eyes up to her.

"Well," his head brushed against her side as he walked on, "I was created by your parents with the purpose of being your guardian digimon. They told me that they knew that their job was a dangerous one, creating a world with real living, breathing monsters. In order to provide you with the information you need to survive here, since they knew the real world would be worse than living here, they created me so that you would know exactly who I was, and that you could trust me." He looked up at her with friendly wrinkles beneath his eyes, "Obviously it worked. You didn't faint when you saw me."

Amanda laughed and pat him on the head, "If it wasn't from seeing your draconic mug, I probably would have fainted from that hot breath of yours. You pack more of a punch than the digital you that my parents made for the game Digimon Advance.

"Well, you're talking to the real deal, kid." The small dragon added with a smirk, "No hologram is going to outdo me in style!"

She smiled and rubbed the side of his neck, allowing his head to rest gently against her side, "You're much better than a stinking hologram. If my parents were still alive, I would thank them for what they did, though I wouldn't forgive them for the way they have treated me..."

Dramon seemed to purr as he closed his eyes and accepted the comforting gesture, "Well," he hummed while rubbing his head against her like a spoiled kitten, "I have to warn you, the digital world is no picnic. Especially if you're a human." He slowly pulled away and continued forward, with his tamer following behind, "Unlike digimon, who are reborn after they get deleted, you could get injured badly, and you might…you know, die." his tone became serious as he looked back up at her with worried eyes, catching her own hesitant glance before she looked away, "Your parents told me how headstrong you can be. You must be careful if we're attacked, which most likely we will. You have no source of protection on your side besides me, and I'm a small mass of teeth and scales, as well as firepower."

"So…you're implying?"

"Leave the fighting to the scaly fighting machine."

"Great…" the teen muttered as she folded her arms over her chest, "So, not only do I have no idea what this place consists of, but now I can't even defend myself if we're under attack." She closed her eyes and sighed, "Doesn't sound very fair to me."

Dramon crawled forward to a group of bushes before he turned to face her and held one claw over one of the shrubs, "Trust me, once you see this, you won't think this world is all that bad." He pulled the bush over and motioned for her to enter the small opening he created.

Amanda opened her eyes and knelt down in order to crawl through the small space, feeling the spiky leaves of the bushes softly scratch her arms. She noticed that she was in a small tunnel of bushes, and she continued crawling forward, feeling her blue jeans scrape against the ground. Back when her parents spent more time at home, when their research was just beginning, her mother would have had a conniving fit if she saw the stains on her knees.

Yeah, good times. When she actually had real parents…

The tunnel widened out a bit and soon branched off to reveal a lighted source. She seemed to quicken her pace with anticipation, and as she reached the end and was able to stand up and take in her surroundings, she couldn't help but gasp in awe.

The tunnel had led to a large glade, of which was built around a pleasantly blue lake. Great willow trees stretched over the area, providing a nice shade for the many creatures that lived here. Large plushy leaves covered the ground and topped larger trees that spread their canopies in a protective barrier above the tranquil glen.

Amanda stepped forward and walked around the place, turning her head to and fro to take in all of the amazing sights. Small green worm-like digimon were sitting upon makeshift swings, rocking back and forth and laughing with joy. A large serpentine dragon flew around the canopy, weaving in and out of various positions with an utmost grace and beauty that surpassed those that the Digimon Advance Airdramon could ever do.

When she passed by the lake, she saw small white seal-like digimon poking their heads out from various places, splashing each other with their fin-like claws. Every so often a large serpentine form would surface and the mug of a sea snake would grin at the young digimon running on the shore, keeping a protective gaze upon them.

"Wow, so many different kind of digimon living together in harmony…this is amazing!"

Dramon grinned as he looked back at her, "Wasn't what you expected, was it?"

"No…." she beamed, "No it wasn't…"

The sea serpent caught sight of the strange creature in their midst and he shouted out in a booming, hiss-tinged voice.

"Attention one and all! Adrianna and Brian Dracoanas's daughter is here at last! Let us all give a warm welcome, to the daughter of our creators."

The last thing Amanda expected was the bowing positions each creature took place before her. Even the Airdramon halted her wonderful dance in order to lower her head in respect, as if she were something they had been waiting for in a long time.

Dramon crawled forward and turned around to face his tamer, "We're all counting on you Amanda, to help us fulfill the prophesy, and to defeat the evil menace that plagues this land once and for all." He held one paw out in front of him and lowered his head while bending the other knee, bowing like a show horse in the real world. His wings were spread and they rested upon the ground, and the teen girl blushed at the gesture.

"Please, get up guys. I'm not really all that important," she said as she put her hands up, a silver glint running over her D-Watch from the rays of sun that peeked through the leaves, "I just was brought here for a safe haven because my world isn't secure anymore. I really can't own up to what my parents did for you."

"Nonsense!" the Seadramon boomed with his great voice, "You're the destined child, the one who has the power to stop Kronosmon's tyrant rule over us. No other human may enter the digital world if your parents haven't meant it to be." He lowered his armored head so that she could rest her hands upon his snout, "You are the one that your parents chose to protect this world. Not any of their assistants. They trust only in you."

Amanda blinked, "Kronosmon?" Could it have possibly been in relation to the mysterious Kronos that had brought her here?

He lifted his head and gazed up at the barrier of branches above, "For many centuries since this world was created, we've been fighting against the demon digimon Kronosmon and his cohorts for as long as most of us can remember. This monster has bred digital bugs that we call 'Shadow Leeches'. They latch onto unwary digimon and inject a black fluid in them that ends up infecting the brain of the digimon. This fluid has some way of allowing Kronosmon to control that digimon; it will obey any of his orders, no matter how much they resent that order.."

The serpent sighed and looked back at the girl, "I don't exactly know how it works, no one was able to find where the leeches hide, let alone how to destroy them. That is until you came, with that D-watch upon your wrist."

"This old thing?" The girl asked as she looked down at the strange device, "I could destroy these Shadow Leeches with a press of a button? But how would I get near enough to the creature in order to aim well, and how could I if it's flailing about, throwing wild attacks everywhere?"

"That's where I come in." Dramon said as he spread his wings as if to show off, "With that D-Watch, I could digivolve into my stronger levels, which will be helpful along the way. As you can see, all different levels of digimon live here, and some can even digivolve if the environment is right. That's how Seadramon became our guardian."

Amanda turned her eyes to the giant sea creature and smiled, "He certainly is a magnificent creature. I had always fantasized about digimon being real living things, I just never thought it would be possible, and my parents created this all within a few months…" As she spoke, something struck her as odd and her eyebrow rose in a confused look, "Seadramon," She addressed the sea serpent, "you said that this world has been created many centuries ago, but my parents just finished this program right before their disappearance, before I came here, how could this world have existed for so many years?"

"I'll answer that question!" Dramon said as excitedly as any child while he lifted a claw in the air.

"Go ahead." Seadramon urged with a wink of a sapphire eye.

"Okay." The red dragon said as he sat upon his haunches, his long tail flicking back and forth upon the soft grass, "Time here passes much more quickly than time in the digital world. The few minutes from when your parents first entered the last command, to the time when you first entered the digital world, was actually hundreds of years for us. Also, unlike humans, digimon don't age, only grow stronger with experience. Some of us have existed since day one, while others were born from digieggs. A few, however, like me, awaken after a certain time period for some event or other. I existed a few years before you came here, and all that time I have been training and waiting for you. Though I'm not overly strong like many of the elder digimon in this land, I feel that I am strong enough to be your guardian digimon, your friend, and your guide."

Amanda stood there and took all of the information in, mulling over each little detail in her mind before going to the next explanation. So far she knew that this world had existed for hundreds of years when it was only fully created within a four hour time span. She knew that she had an important role to play in helping fight back against this digimon called Kronosmon, of which she never heard of before.

It all came together now, and she noticed that Seadramon had rested his head beside her so that she could lean against it for support. As her arms met his smooth, plated head, she closed her eyes and let her hand run absentmindedly through her long, brown hair. If her parents weren't science geniuses, she would have thought this was all fake, and that she could have been dreaming.

But everything felt so real…the grass beneath her feet, the cool touch of the sea serpent's head, Dramon's embrace…everything was so real.

When she opened her brown eyes to the wondrous sight once again, she noticed that the flying dragon had disappeared; she most likely flew through the top of the canopy. She wondered why she had remained so quiet during this time. She was a champion level like Seadramon; maybe she had a different purpose than guard duty?

"Well, I guess I'll find out soon." She whispered as she stood back upon her feet, only turning to pat Seadramon upon his snout before she walked towards a drooping willow tree near a small cliff that jutted above the water. Obviously it was a good place for diving. The clawed footsteps of the group of Gomamon littered the area.

As she sat beneath the willow, looking over the cliff at the placid lake below, she wrapped her arms around her knees and stared at the scene in adoration. She heard silent footsteps beside her and felt Dramon's long form take a rest beside her. He curled up and made sure that his neck was tucked in his body right beside her so she may rest her hand upon his horn-crested head. He reminded her so much of an overgrown, scaly kitten that she couldn't help but laugh gently at his peaceful state.

_Amanda…help…me…_

The voice that spoke was barely a whisper, and it caught the tamer's attention right away. She looked down at Dramon who was gently scratching at the ground with his claws, "Did you say something?" she asked, thinking it was he who whispered.

"Hmm?" The small dragon lifted his head and looked at her with an eye ridge raised, "I didn't say anything."

"Huh…that was strange...it sounded so familiar…" She frowned and looked up to see Airdramon's form slithering through a hole within the canopy. The dragon's wings were tightly folded against her sides as she fell towards the lake. With a large snap like a wind-blown flag, the creature flung out her wings and gave a mighty flap, allowing her to soar over the lake to reach her destination, where Amanda and her digimon were resting.

"Airdramon, what's wrong?" Amanda asked as she leaned backward and leapt to her feet. The serpentine dragon lowered her tail upon the ground and curled up so that her upper body would remain above the ground.

"I saw an infected digimon not too far from here. He's attacking an Angemon, we need you to test out your purification powers and see if you can put a stop to him."

Dramon pushed himself up to all fours and looked up at his tamer, "What do you say, think we should try out our new skills?"

"Definitely," Amanda said with a firm nod. She turned her head to look at Airdramon, "Could you provide us with the transportation?"

"It would be an honor, climb aboard young human."

Airdramon rested her long body beside Amanda, so she could easily throw her chest upon the dragon's neck and adjust her position so she could hold onto the soft orange and red feathers that came from beneath Airdramon's skull-like helmet. She pushed her legs tightly against the dragon's sides so that she had a good grip and she sat up straight in order to see above the bony ridges of the dragon's head.

"Hang on tight young tamer!" the dragon shouted in her melodious voice as she pumped her great wings against the still air around her, "If you haven't experienced flight upon a dragons back before, you're in for a wild ride!"

Amanda held on tightly as the dragon's wings beat with more speed and power. She could feel the muscles within the dragons sides tense up as she lowered herself to the ground. Then, like a spring-loaded toy, Airdramon pushed herself off of the ground and a blast of wind struck the girl upon her back as the sky took the two into its gentle arms.

The adrenaline rush that flowed through Amanda's veins filled her with excitement and energy as she stretched her arms and felt the once still air push against them, the soft tendrils of the wind caressing her fair skin. She had always dreamed of flying, and this was even better than she imagined.

"Isn't flying amazing?"

The girl pulled in her arms and turned her head to see Dramon gliding easily beside her, a cheerful smile written in both his eyes and his scaly lips.

"Yes, it really is." She said as she reached out her right hand towards him. He gladly placed his claw upon her palm and both of them seemed to float above the clouds as the larger dragon noiselessly carried them towards their destination. This was their first mission together, and they were both wishing for the best.

"Alright, this is where I saw the two digimon battling." Airdramon said as she slowed her wing beats down, hovering over a clearing in the forest below, "I can't land in there, so I have to dive down and you have to leap off right away. Think you can handle that kind of maneuver?"

Amanda softly nodded and lifted her knees up to the dragons back before she grabbed onto the feathers once again, "I don't have much of a choice, do I? Here goes nothing!"

Dramon and Airdramon both roared out battle cries and dived down towards the hollow within the forest. Fighting against the wind, the tamer upon Aidramon's back slowly pulled one leg up to rest a foot against the dragon's blue scaled back.

"Now!"

As Airdramon swooped in a few feet off the ground and swooped swiftly back up again, Amanda pushed off of her back and fell just after the rest of the serpentine dragon flew up from beneath her. She landed in the same position that she started in and she pushed herself off of the ground with her one hand, feeling the gusts from Dramon's beating wings hit her from behind.

As she stood up and examined her surroundings, she was immediately drawn to the two humanoid digimon locked in combat. A beautiful angel, covered in welts that leaked a strange silver stream of data, fought fiercely against a fully armored knight. His six wings hung limp at his back, each appearing as if they tasted the sting of the blade that he was fending off with nothing but a golden rod. Amanda couldn't see his eyes, but she could tell by his gritted teeth that he was in pain.

"Let's see what tin head can do against me!" Dramon gave a fierce roar and rushed forward, his wings open to catch the air as he flew at the combating digimon.

"Dramon! Wait!" Amanda reached out to grab his tail, but it swung away from her grasp, "He's an Ultimate! You can't beat him!"

The small digimon ignored her cries and pulled back his head, "Inferno Force!" He opened his mouth and a beam of energy surged forward towards the Knightmon. The armored digimon turned his head as the flames seared towards him, and he backed away from the angel digimon before holding up an arm in front of his face, the beam struck his arm, causing it to shake slightly from the force, but the armor held firm and the energy rebounded towards Dramon, striking him square in the chest.

The small dragon cried out in pain as he slammed back into one of the tree trunks. He slid down to the base of the tree and his chin fell to the ground. His eyes became dazed, and a sickening crack behind him brought everyone's attention to the tree, which slowly began to crack and fall down towards him.

The Angemon snapped into action, his legs carrying him swiftly just as the tree hurtled down towards the small dragon. The angel caught the tree on his back, his head bent down to make sure the Rookie was okay, "Hey, get up." His voice was gentle, but urgent as the Knightmon drew his sword and noticed his advantage. The Angemon's back was turned to him, and the tree was forcing him to his knees.

Amanda noticed the Knightmon's advance towards the angel, and she scanned the ground, noticing the Angemon's staff resting on the ground. Running to the weapon, she scooped it off of the ground and leapt into the air as high as she could, holding the staff high above her head. As she began to come back down from her jump, she swung the blade as hard as she could at the side of the knight's head. A loud 'clank' resounded and the weapon vibrated from the force, nearly causing her to relinquish her hold on it.

Fortunately, the Knightmon stopped in his tracks before he could strike at the fallen Angemon…_Un_fortunately, his attention soon turned to her, his red eyes gleaming dangerously under his helmet, "So…you're the human." His voice sounded like two, one regal and strong, the other cold and snake-like. The broad sword in his hand lifted from the ground and he chuckled darkly, "This shall be interesting."

Amanda gulped and took a few steps back. She looked past the knight at the struggling angel as he tried to push the tree away from himself and the unconscious dragon. She then turned her attention back to the knight as he lashed the huge sword towards her. The tamer's eyes widened and she leapt back just as the tip of the blade grazed her stomach. A slight sting told her it met contact with her skin, but she couldn't think as he brought the sword down in a downward slice. She barely had time to lift the rod above her head and block the blow, feeling her arms jolt as the force of the sword pushed her to her knees.

"Why bother trying, human? You know you can't best an Ultimate digimon." The Knightmon smirked in the darkness of his helmet and he drew a smaller sword, wielding it in his hand as well, "Armor Knife!"

The sound of something large crashing behind the knight-like digimon didn't take her eyes off of the blade that came right for her shoulder. She couldn't take her hands off of the rod for fear of the larger blade slicing right through her. Before she could blink, a bright white form appeared before her and the sickening sound of a blade piercing flesh and bone resounded. Her eyes widened as she saw data leaking from the tip of the blade that had embedded itself in Angemon's chest. The angel looked back at her with a pained smile. In a flash of light and data, he vanished, causing the Knightmon to stumble back in blindness.

As the armored digimon fell back, Amanda shakily got to her feet. She noticed a crack in the Knightmon's gauntlet where a small wriggling creature had embedded itself. Two red eyes peered over a slimy snout, beneath which a fanged mouth held firmly to the digimon's flesh beneath his armor.

"A Shadow Leech…" The girl quickly held out the watch-like device on her wrist towards the place on the armor. The Knightmon seemed to realize what she was doing and he rushed forward, anger in his eyes and his blade swinging wildly, "Berserk Sword!"

Leaping back, adrenaline rushing through the girl's veins, she pressed a button on her watch and noticed a thin red beam escape from the watch, striking the leech dead-on. The slimy creature bulged before exploding in a burst of data just in the nick of time. The Knightmon held up his sword for a final blow when his eyes became a gentle blue and he lowered the blade to the ground, "My…what has happened here?"

Amanda stumbled back and crashed to the ground, letting out a relieved sigh as the digimon regained his senses, "Er…I…um…" She looked around and frowned, "You were being controlled by a Shadow Leech, I'm afraid I wasn't strong enough to protect Angemon…" She felt her heart sink to her stomach. It was her first day on the job of keeping the digital world safe and she was too weak to rescue the angelic digimon.

The Knightmon sheathed his blade, and his eyes gleamed with what looked like tears, "You mean…I have slain an angel? I…I can't believe I couldn't control myself…" He looked down at the ground, "I am terribly sorry for what I've done…I hope I haven't harmed you as well."

The girl shook her head, "It's not your fault, you…you were being controlled." Getting to her feet, she looked down at her shirt where a thin stream of blood began to appear, "I'm fine, it's just a small scratch, I'll make it through." Running past the knight, she went to where she last saw Dramon and noticed the digimon snoring away next to the tree that the Angemon had shoved aside, "Well…it's good to see that he's okay." She gave a weak smile and slid her hands beneath the dragon, grunting slightly as she lifted him from the ground, "You should come with us, back to our home base. We could use a strong digimon like you to fight against Kronosmon."

The Knightmon lifted his head, his eyes still shining with tears, "You mean…you aren't angry with me?"

Amanda shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile, "Like I said, it wasn't your fault…now let's get home."

Knightmon lifted a brow beneath the darkness of his helmet, "What is this place you talk of? Does it have a name?"

The girl frowned and looked at the place where Angemon had been deleted. Her eyes turned upward to the heavens and she felt the suns rays gently rest upon her face, "Eden…Our new home is called Eden."

"So you are familiar with the workings of the Creator?" Knightmon's eyes softened as the sound of Airdramon's wing beats drew near, "Perhaps us digimon have more in common with you than you think."

Amanda nodded, his words slipping in one ear and out the other. She went to Airdramon, who lay curled up on the ground, filling half of the clearing with her coiled form, "Let's just get home. Dramon needs to be looked after."

Nodding, the Knightmon rested a hand on her shoulder and helped her get on the Airdramon's back, "I will do whatever I can to help. My sword and service are yours."

Looking back at the knight, the girl gave him a warm smile and nodded, "Thank you…I just hope it will be enough."


	3. Chapter 3: The Three Headed Terror

Alright, Chapter 3! This is where the action really gets started :D Please read and review guys, otherwise I feel like I'm writing to a brick wall o.o' which, I guess isn't surprising, but still XD

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Chapter 3**: The Three-Headed Terror**

"**She has come, Kronosmon, the human in the prophesy arrived in the digital world just this morning."**

**The cloaked digimon bowed low before the glass cylinder which pulsated with a sickly green glow at every beat of the voice that came from within.**

"**Phantomon, are these facts true?" a darker voice asked, its tone filled with a rasp that signified weakness, "Has she really appeared in this world?"**

**The phantom gazed up with his glowing yellow eyes and gave a sharp nod, "Yes, I saw her with my own eyes when I was flying above Blossomon's Forest. She had interrupted the battle between Knightmon and Angemon. I saw the battle with my own eyes, and I don't think you'd appreciate what had taken place."**

**A loud roar pierced the dark room and Phantomon ducked in fear as the green pulse took on a crimson red color, "Tell me what happened, worm! If you keep me waiting, I'll destroy you in the slowest and most painful way possible! I can not tolerate disobedience in my kingdom!"**

**Phantomon shivered and lowered his sleeves so he could look at his master with fear-filled eyes, "Knightmon did destroy the Angemon like you asked…but the girl stepped into battle. She…she used her D-Watch to destroy the leech." He flinched, preparing for an enraged outburst.**

**The liquid within the glass container returned to its neon green color and the gravelly voice continued, "Good, Knightmon was just the right bait we needed to assure her arrival. Angemon is one less nuisance I must deal with."**

**Phantomon sighed in relief and hovered back from the creature within the canister, "I will keep my eye out on her, and find her strengths and weaknesses. I'm sure she'll be no match for whatever else you throw at her, and maybe if I watch close enough, we can find where the rebels' main base is."**

**The creature within the liquid spoke again, this time with a threatening tone, "Alright, you can go forth. Make sure though that she isn't killed through our attacks. Inform the troops that I assign, and tell them that they can get rid of anyone else that gets in their way."**

"**Yes, my liege," the messenger whispered before leaving the darkness of the room behind.**

"**Soon…" the raspy voice muttered as the cold metal doors slammed after the phantom's retreat. The liquid turned a darker color and silence filled the chamber.**

* * *

**The arrival to Eden was uneventful. Dramon continued to snooze in her arms, so she went up to the willow tree and set him down on the grass-covered ground. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, the girl felt her eyelids grow heavy. It had been quite a day…she hadn't taken a rest since she was back in the real world, "Why am I here?" She whispered in a soft prayer, "What if I fail these digimon like I've failed Angemon? I…I need help…"**

**She didn't know if seconds, minutes, or hours had passed since she had rested against the tree, but she was now asleep. Unlike the times before, she had a strange sense of being in her dozing state. She could feel her hair against the back of her neck and could move her body freely, and all around her was white, as if she was centered in a never ending room where all the walls were painted with the bright, monochrome color.**

**She stepped forward, feeling the ground beneath her as if it were truly there. Her previous dreams had always seemed real to her, but not this real. She even self consciously lifted a hand and swept a rogue strand of hair away from her eyes, and felt her fingers brush against her brow as she did so.**

"_**Amanda…**_**"**

**The voice caught her off guard and she jumped a foot backwards as she looked around the white room for the source. The voice had a musical quality to it, and it grew louder until she could hear it right in front of her.**

"_**Amanda…I have heard your prayers, and I'm here to answer a few of them.**_**" As her eyes adjusted to the strange light, she could almost see a winged figure standing before her, but she could not distinguish any of its features.**

"**Who…who are you?" she asked as she took a few steps back, wondering if she could trust this strange being.**

"_**Who do you think I am? I am the one that formed you in your mother's womb…I was the one that protected you from the evils of the world, and was the one that shielded you against the fury of your parent's rivals. I've safely lowered you down into the digital world, and I have watched you do your best to defend one of my warriors.**_**"**

**She averted her eyes and fell to her knees, feeling shocked by the presence, "I…I didn't realize…I'm sorry, Lord." she whispered as she rubbed her chilled arms with her hands, "I didn't know if you could hear me in this new world…But I had to try, just in case." She lifted her eyes towards the comforting source of light and allowed the corners of her mouth to curl into a smile, "Why did you come to me?"**

**The voice took on a gentler tone as He continued, "**_**Of course I could come to this world, the digimon need a guide as well…**_**" she heard a sigh and the voice continued, "**_**I helped you because I know that you're the only one that can save these creatures with the technology your parents gave you**_**. **_**It may seem like a large chore, but with your strength, courage, and kindness, I'm sure you will do fine. Here…allow me to give you something that will help immensely in your quest.**_**"**

**A sphere of light began to materialize before the winged form and it pulsated in different colors. Red turned to blue, blue turned to green, and green turned to white. The sphere drew closer to her and the voice continued, "**_**This sphere will give you abilities in the digital world that will assist you. Though you may not learn how to use its properties right away, you will learn them as your journey progresses.**_**"**

**Amanda slowly reached out a hand and hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the cool sphere. It crumbled in her hand and small multi-colored sparks surrounded her, falling upon her like snowflakes in the winter, only the sparks provided warmth and comfort to her, and she could feel herself ease up as the last of the sparks met her skin.**

"_**Use these gifts well, for they'll be your sword and shield when all else fails.**_**"**

**The winged figure slowly began to disappear and she opened her mouth to ask something else. However, she felt a strange pulling sensation and the room began to darken as she felt herself return to consciousness.**

**Amanda's eyes fluttered open and she leapt to her feet as energy returned to her once again. She noticed that it was getting dark, but a bit of light was peeking through ground level, revealing the steady setting of the sun.**

"**That was…amazing." She whispered. She looked up towards the heavens and smiled up at the opening above, "Thank you…Thank you for coming to me."**

"**Mmm? Who 're you talkin' to?" Dramon sleepily murmured as he pushed himself up to all fours and looked up at his tamer, "Did I miss anything? I remember getting hit by a huge tree, everything else from there is fuzzy."**

**The girl chuckled and gave the dragon's scaly head a gentle pat, "I purified Knightmon, he's greeting the other digimon now as we speak."**

**Dramon nuzzled the side of his face against his tamer's hand like a large, lizard-like cat before pulling gently away, "And what about Angemon? He saved my life."**

**The tamer's smile faded and she looked away, "Angemon…didn't make it."**

"**Oh…" Dramon frowned as a crash of thunder roared in the distance, "I'm sorry…I should've been more careful when I rushed in there…I didn't think."**

**The girl shook her head, "No, it's not your fault. He was weakened from the wounds he received earlier. It's no one's fault but that stupid Leech. I'm glad my watch can destroy those things…they're disgusting little monsters." She shivered and turned to head down the cliff, "Let's see how the others are doing. I'm sure the Gomamon and Wormmon are thrilled to see an Ultimate level digimon wandering around." She chuckled, "Poor Airdramon was struggling to keep him in the air. His armor must be heavier than it looks."**

"**Mr. Knightmon! Mr. Knightmon! Is it true you can defeat a Metalgreymon in one attack?!"**

"**Can you fly?! I thought all Ultimate level digimon can fly!"**

"**That's a huge blade! I bet it can cut through boulders!"**

**The little Rookie digimon crowded around Knightmon, who's eyes took on a flustered, dazed look. He had never had so much attention brought on him before, "One at a time, one at a time!"**

**Seadramon lifted his head from the water and rolled his eyes, "Let him be, kids. He had a long day yesterday, it's time for him to take a rest."**

**The seal and worm-like digimon all turned their heads to Seadramon and frowned, simultaneously shouting, "Awwwww." The sea serpent just shook his head and motioned with a thin fin towards the cliff overlooking the lake, "Go on and play. You can ask questions one at a time later."**

**Amanda's eyes widened as an army of Rookie digimon rushed towards her. She did her best not to step on anyone as they rushed past, but one of the Gomamon fell flat on his face, causing the others to run him over, "Hey! Gettoff me! Go around!" His tiny voice squeaked as he tried to regain his footing, his clawed flippers flopping awkwardly on the ground.**

**The girl chuckled as she picked the small digimon up and set him down right on the ground, "Here you go. You're so small compared to the other ones…" She frowned as she looked at him. He must have been half the size of the other Gomamon.**

"**Yeah…I was the runt of the litter. My digiegg was knocked around a few times in Primary Village…" He gave a nervous chuckle while rubbing the back of his head, "Elecmon decided to call me Gomi…if you want to call me by that I don't mind. I sort of like it." He smiled warmly and began to pad off, "I'll see you later."**

**The tamer chuckled lightly and waved to him, "Alright, it was a pleasure to meet you, Gomi." Turning to Knightmon, she watched as he drew a handkerchief and wiped at his invisible brow, "Not used to having young ones running around, are you?" She smiled and gave his gauntlet a gentle pat, "Sorry for all the excitement around here. Quite a lot has happened to Eden when we arrived." **

**The two watched the placid lake for a while, enjoying the sight of the Gomamon playing a game with Seadramon. He dove beneath the water, dorsal fin rising above the surface to make himself appear like a shark as he chased after the laughing digimon. So absorbed they were in surveying the game that they didn't notice Airdramon flying towards them until she practically whipped them backwards with her wings. Dramon, curious by the sudden arrival of the large dragon digimon, glided in beside his tamer.**

"**Guys, I saw a Deltamon in the western sector of Kairo Canyon wreaking havoc on a small town there." The serpentine dragon said as she lowered her body to the ground, "The digimon in the town are all rebels against Kronosmon. Apparently he discovered it and infected the guardian that had previously kept watch over it."**

**Amanda looked down at Dramon, "What do you say? Want to try and take this Deltamon out?"**

**The small dragon chuckled and gave a strong flap of his wings, "Would I ever?!" He flew up and landed on top of Airdramon's skullcap. Chuckling, he wrapped his tail around one of her horns and curled up, "Wake me up when we get there…"**

"**Man…out of all the digimon in the world, I had to get the laziest one." Chuckling, the teen climbed onto the serpentine dragon's back and grabbed hold of the crimson feathers behind Airdramon's head, "Alright, let's get going."**

**The dragon let out a loud roar before shooting up towards the sky, her long body twisting and turning behind her. Amanda closed her eyes as they burst through the canopy. When they made it into the clear sky, she reached up and plucked a leaf out of her hair, allowing it to slip through her fingers to flutter to the ground below, "I sure hope that canopy holds out…soon any digimon flying overhead can see where Eden is…"**

**Dramon looked back at her and blinked sleepily, "Don't worry, we'll be fine. The chances of an evil digimon spotting this place is a million to one. There's no way anyone can see it if they don't know what they're looking for." He gave a motion of his claw to the vast forest that surrounded the peaceful glade. **

"**I guess so…" The girl frowned and looked up as they drew nearer to the dark clouds that loomed ahead, "I sure hope you're right."**

**Minutes of silence flew by and soon Airdramon slowed her wing beats and began to descend upon the darkened clouds. Amanda felt beads of water slide down her arms and she shivered as the cool air ran across her skin. She wanted to rub some warmth back into them, but she was clinging tightly to Airdramon's feathers to prevent herself from flying over the dragon's head from the powerful winds that beat at them.**

**When they flew below the cloud line, they were pelted by a downpour that mercilessly drenched the girl within a few seconds. She could hear it pattering harmlessly on the scales of the two dragons, and she leaned closer to Airdramon's body to try and shelter most of her body from the rain. The deluge struck at her back and she shut her eyes tightly from the painful feeling. When flying at 100 miles per hour in a downpour, the rain felt like needles that flung mercilessly down at her.**

**After what seemed like hours of bearing the fierce downpour, Airdramon landed upon the muddy ground and the tamer and her digimon dismounted. The serpentine dragon waved a wing at them and slithered back into the air, unleashing a loud roar as she did her best to fight the winds and get back into the sky.**

"**I see the town over there!"**

**Amanda turned to see Dramon pointing at a large village gate a few yards away. She felt him nudge her back gently with his snout in order to get her moving and she slowly complied, watching as forks of lightning pierced the air, casting a frightening glow on the town before them.**

**Their pace quickened to a quick run as the rain beat harder upon them. Amanda's glance moved up and her eyes widened as a tall form loomed over the town. More streaks of lightning illuminated the strange, three-headed monster. **

**The tamer was taken aback at the strange heads that replaced the beast's claws. An armored, serpent-like mug gnashed its jaws in the air, the rain sliding down the steel that covered the top of its head. Rivers of drool fell from its fangs onto the ground, sending up tendrils of steam into the air.**

**The left hand smashed down upon the wall of the town, the rubble barely scratching the bones that made up the dragon-like head. It's empty eye sockets had a dim red glow to match the glowing eyes of the more fleshed out faces. Amanda gasped as a small rabbit-like digimon was lifted into the jaws of the skeletal maw and swallowed. When the teeth opened again, a thin stream of data flowed out between the beast's fangs.**

"**I…I never saw that digimon before." Her eyes widened and she looked down at Dramon. The Deltamon towered over the town that it had once guarded…how could her digimon even think of standing a chance against him?**

**Dramon growled as he narrowed his eyes against the rain, "I'll locate the leech for you. You have to stay out of the way until then. The only way we can beat this thing is if we purify it." **

**The digimon spread his wings, feeling the needle-like rain and wind pounding against them with furious blows. With a few strained beats, he leapt into the air and soon grabbed hold of a burst of air that sent him soaring towards the gigantic digimon. **

**The center head noticed the small figure coming towards him and he slowly brought the mechanical one in to intercept. Dramon was quicker and he spiraled away from the jaws just as they snapped closed. He could smell the rancid breath of the beast and he made a face, "What I do for glory…"**

**Nearing the Deltamon's chest, Dramon dived down and planted all four claws on the dinosaur's knee before using it to propel himself up towards the chin of the main head. Opening his mouth, the dragon felt flames trickle past his teeth and he let out a fierce growl, "Fire Storm!"**

**A barrage of fireballs shot out of his mouth, slamming into the lower jaw of the Deltamon. Screeching in irritation, the digimon tried to move its arms to rub away the pain, but the heads clacked together. The mechanical and skeletal mugs began to snap at each other in anger, allowing Dramon to weave in and out of their movements to fly to the back of the creature.**

"**Doragon Flame!" Opening his jaws once again, Dramon unleashed an intense blast of fire between Deltamon's shoulder blades. The monster screeched angrily and clumsily turned around, his heads searching wildly for the tiny digimon.**

"**Nothing…where is that stupid Leech?" Dramon growled and flapped his wings against the hammering winds in order to drift high above Deltamon's main head. He threw his arms back and snapped his wings against his side, sending him dropping at break-neck speed at the dinosaur's muzzle.**

**Deltamon caught sight of his opponent and opened his jaws to snap up the small dragon as he fell. Dramon opened his own mouth as a small ball of energy began to form, growing larger and larger as he drew nearer.**

"**Inferno Force!"**

"**Triplex Force!"**

**As the beam was about to blast forth from Dramon's mouth, Deltamon turned both arms up to allow the two other open maws to face him. Within each a similar ball of energy formed, only they were green in color with light blue waves that pulsed within. **

**Amanda gasped as she saw the sight and she quickly ran towards the large dinosaur's feet. **

"**Dramon! Fly out of there!" she shouted as loud as she could. With the rain pattering against the ground and the wind, she knew the dragon couldn't hear her cries.**

**Dramon's pupils turned to slits as he opened his mouth wider to allow room for the enlarged ball of energy. He hadn't noticed the enemy's attack forming until the last minute, and as the three beams shot up at him from all sides, his eyes widened in shock and he screeched in unbearable pain as the attack made contact with his small body. Every nerve on him was on fire, and the physical torture prevented him from realizing that he was falling from the air.**

**Amanda felt as if her heart was wrenched from her body as she watched the small digimon meet the attack head-on. She rushed forward as fast as she could, but his tiny body struck the ground before she could reach him. Deltamon loomed high above her, but she knelt at the digimon's side, feeling her heart race.**

**As she gazed at his smoking, battered form, tears flooded the girl's eyes and she tried blinking them away, mingling the tears with the rainwater that slid down her face. She reached her hand out towards the dragon's head and pulled it back, unsure to whether she should touch his wounded body or not.**

**As she pushed her hesitation aside, she placed her hand upon his brow and was assailed by rays of immensely bright light that shot out from her D-Watch. The light cascaded around Dramon and he began to glow with a bright red aura. **

**Amanda stumbled to her feet and watched as the glow increased in size. It soon was knee-high to Deltamon. The large dinosaur took a step back in surprise as features began to form upon the shimmering figure. **

"**Dramon digivolve to…"**

**Soon a body appeared within the bright mass and a long neck began to stretch from the shoulders. A draconic head, more menacing then that of Dramon appeared upon the neck and a row of sharp spikes started from the top of the dragon's mug before they traveled down its spine. Two more rows of shorter spikes ran along the sides of the first. Beneath the spikes, armored plating began to form, adding more protection to the dragon's body. The wings grew much greater in size and more ribs formed between the membranes to add extra flexibility and distance.**

"**Drakemon!"**

**The red and black dragon stretched its wings and unleashed an earth-shaking roar as he rejoiced in his growth. His green eyes turned to look at Amanda and he smiled, "Are you ready to ride upon my back, tamer?" he asked in a deeper, more melodic voice as he lowered his body to the ground, "Together we can defeat any digimon that stands in our path!"**

**Amanda gave a weak, wide-eyed nod before leaping upon Drakemon's back. She landed at the base of his neck where a space between two spikes lay. Clutching onto the closest spine in front of her, she braced herself for flight and prepared herself to search for the leech.**

**Drakemon bent his legs and than leapt into the sky, unleashing yet another roar as he launched himself into the air. His great wings beat against the maelstrom with ease, and Amanda gasped for joy at the smooth ride that he provided. She didn't care that the rain beat against her face like sharp icicles. All she cared about was that her digimon was okay…more than okay.**

**Drakemon hovered in the air for a moment before diving down at Deltamon who tried swiping at him with the skull-like head upon his arm. The large dragon easily tilted himself to the side to avoid being hit and he unleashed a stream of fire upon the dinosaur's exposed side. He than used Deltamons body as a base and pushed his back legs against it to fly off once again.**

**The force of the dragon's four legs caused Deltamon to stumble back and he fell upon his elbows, causing the two mouths on his hands to open in alarm. As Drakemon flew past the metallic one, Amanda gasped as she saw two red orbs on the monster's hard palate.**

"**I see it!" she shouted to Drakemon, hoping he heard her above the rain, "Get us near to the metal mouth! **

**The dragon nodded and made a 180 turn just as Deltamon stood back up again. He opened his mouth and pelted another fireball at the armored head of Deltamons right hand. The serpentine mug opened its jaws as it screeched out in pain and Amanda leapt off of Drakemon's back into the monster's gaping mouth.**

**Darkness enshrouded the tamer as the jaws snapped closed and she pushed herself up to her feet, grimacing as the slimy tongue released saliva onto her hand. She hissed in pain as it started to burn. "I gotta delete this thing before I'm all covered in this gunk."**

**Her eyes darted to the red mouth above and she lifted her wrist as she saw the two glowing eyes of the Shadow Leech. With a press of a button, the miniscule beam shot forth and struck the leech head on, enlarging its body before it exploded in a burst of data.**

**A blast of cold air met her as the jaws of the mighty dinosaur opened up once again. The winged form of Drakemon swooped down towards her, a joyful smile on his face. With one quick leap, she was on the dragons back and the duo soared over the three heads of the purified digimon.**

**Amanda wiped the disgusting drool that had gotten on her hand onto her jeans, feeling the burn fade away, "Man, if those leeches are giving the infected digimon new weapons, then Kronosmon is a force to be reckoned with." She raised her voice in order to be heard over the rain. **

"**Yeah, but we can handle them together!" the dragon shouted as he gave a few mighty flaps and entered the stormy clouds. Lightning flickered her and there, causing the tamer to jump slightly, "We should land in the village and give them the all-clear. Deltamon looks a bit confused about what happened."**

**Nodding in agreement, the tamer held firm to the spike in front of her as the large dragon dived down. The rain began to die down as Drakemon banked in the air and slowly lowered himself to the ground. As all four claws gently made it down to the cobblestone streets below, he lowered himself to the ground and allowed his tamer to slide off of his back.**

"**Well…aside from a few homes, this place doesn't look like it was damaged to badly." Looking around, the tamer noticed a few of the gray rabbit-like digimon nearby. One of them cautiously walked forward and lifted a brow in confusion.**

"**Are you the two who turned Deltamon back to his normal self?" The Gazimon stepped forward and examined them.**

**Amanda nodded, "Yeah…we got rid of the Shadow Leech that controlled him." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously, "Is everyone here okay? We saw him destroy a building or two."**

**The rabbit frowned and shook his head, "We lost a few of our friends to him, but we knew he wasn't doing it on purpose. Ever since he was a young Gazimon like us he was quite a cute little guy." He chuckled and looked up at the digimon.**

"**Yeah…cute…" Amanda made a face as she looked at her drool-covered feet, "Umm…anyway, I just wanted to clear things up before we head back home. I heard you are a village rebelling against Kronosmon."**

**Gazimon nodded, "We sure are, which is why he decided to infect our only guardian. We are grateful for your help. In return, some of my friends and I will be glad to assist in any way we can."**

**Amanda blinked and looked back at Drakemon, "I think that would be wonderful. You should come to Eden, I'm sure we could use your services there." She looked back at the rabbit-like digimon with a smile, "I will send Airdramon for transport, I'm sure you guys would like to take some time to rebuild before you join us."**

**Gazimon smiled and nodded, his wet ears flopping over his eyes, "That would be very much appreciated. Deltamon will remain here to protect Kairo Canyon." Holding out his clawed hand, he offered her a warm smile, "It would be an honor to shake the hand of the one chosen to save this world."**

**Amanda gave a kind smile in return and happily returned the handshake, "And it's an honor to meet such generous digimon such as yourselves. I hope we meet again soon."**

**As the group of Gazimon turned to make their repairs, the tamer turned to her digimon and smiled as she climbed aboard his back, "Well, I'd say that went well."**

**Dramon nodded as he looked over at the Deltamon, who was waving its skeletal head at them, a toothy grin on his two other heads, "I'd say so as well. Not only did we save a bunch of digimon, we got a few new recruits at Eden." Feeling her stomach jolt as the large dragon took off into the air, Amanda chuckled and leaned back, feeling the gentle rain tickle her face and arms, "I guess this 'protector of the digital world' thing isn't so bad after all. Hopefully from now on we'll prevent more deaths and purify as many digimon as we can."**

"**Yeah, Kronosmon doesn't stand a chance!"**


	4. Chapter 4: Mastering the Elements

Alright, time to rip off of Avatar and post up my new chapter XD (I originally intended it in my last story to rip-off, but I decided to edit it a TINY bit to blatantly announce that I did). Well, anyway, here it is ^^ Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 4: **Mastering the Elements**

"Come on, Drakemon; get me on its neck!" Amanda shouted as she held tightly to the spike in front of her. Below them, a large dinosaur-like turtle was whipping his head to and fro, trying to snap its massive jaws onto the flying pests above it.

The tamer had been watching the digimon carefully, trying to find a flaw in its strong armor. The only way she was going to find that leech was to get right onto the creature's back itself.

Drakemon angled his wings and began to swoop down towards the dinosaur. Amanda stood up on his back and jumped off when he flew over the digimon, landing right on the overgrown turtle's soft neck.

"Mroaar! Get off of my back, puny human!" Tortomon shouted as he lashed his head back and forth. His large feet stamped against the ground as he tried to shake the girl off of him.

Amanda wrapped her arms tightly around the beast's large neck, trying to keep herself steady. She looked up at the rows of spikes that jutted from the back of his head, trying to see if the leech was anywhere in there, but there were no telltale signs of the slimy little creature.

"Argh! Strong Carapace!"

The tamer spotted a faint glow in the corner of her eyes coming from the spines behind the large digimon. "Watch out, Drakemon!" She cried out as hundreds of sharp spikes were propelled into the air.

She didn't hear a cry of pain…hopefully the dragon saw the attack coming and fled to safer territory. Turning herself around to look around at his back spikes, she saw a squirming figure lodged within two of the spikes near the middle.

"Alright, D-Watch," she muttered, "Purify!"

A bright laser of light struck the leech and it exploded into many data particles. Drakemon slowly hovered down to the side where she had been sitting and smirked at her.

"What took ya so long?" he joked as she leapt onto the base of his own neck, "I could've pulled that thing off of him an hour ago."

"Ha ha…" Amanda laughed sarcastically as the dragon flapped his wings and soared over the tortoise's head.

"Thank you for helping me!" the large dinosaur roared, 'I'm sorry if I've been a bother."

Drakemon nodded as he hovered before the tortoise's head, "It's no problem, just do your best to keep away from those leeches. And if you find any other infected digimon, tell Airdramon if she flies by!"

Tortomon curtly nodded his head and began to turn, "I'll send word. I'm glad that the Chosen one is here at last." He winked at the girl on the dragon's back.

Amanda blushed as the large dinosaur turned away and began to stomp off, leaving her to feel the steady rhythm of Drakemon's body as his wings beat against the air to keep him aloft. So many digimon in this world were relying on her…what were her parents thinking when they created this world?

"My parents…" she whispered softly, _I have to remember to visit them…_

The large dragon gave one mighty flap of his wings to make a U-turn in midair and he burst off into the wild blue, heading back to Eden where they could have a well-earned rest.

-=-=-=-=

Their arrival wasn't as peaceful as they had hoped. When Drakemon's four, taloned paws touched the ground, they were immediately bombarded with questions from curious Rookie digimon about their latest battle.

"How big was Tortomon?"

"How did you beat him?"

"Did you lose a limb?!"

Amanda held her hand over her mouth to prevent a chuckle from escaping her lips. Gomi was hopping up and down to try and see if his new friends were okay.

"To answer your questions…" she turned to the Wormmon that spoke first, "He was much larger then Drakemon and I, his head was about the size of Drakemon's body."

The little caterpillar's eyes grew wide and he muttered, "Whoaaa.."

"We did what we have done with every other digimon we faced…we purified him with my watch. And to answer Gomi's question, no, we didn't lose any limbs." She smiled at the group of kids.

Drakemon stretched his wings out and sighed, "Man, these last two weeks have been so draining…at least the digimon aren't getting stronger. I'm glad we haven't faced an Ultimate since our first encounter with Knightmon."

Two weeks, Amanda had forgotten how long it had been since she arrived in the digital world. It seemed like just yesterday that she had tumbled down through the sky and run into the Birdramon, "Yeah…that would be bad…"

Lifting her eyes, she noticed Airdramon curled around a tree in rest nearby, and she slowly removed herself from the crowd, "Erm…I have to go over here to…to talk to Airdramon. I'll be back." She said, "Drakemon, you can answer the rest of the questions."

"B..bu…what?!" he stuttered as he was surrounded on all sides by the Rookie digimon.

All Amanda could here as she walked was the large dragon screaming "AMANDA!!"

Chuckling softly, she quickened her pace, feeling the plushy ground beneath her feet as it gave a new bounce to her steps. Everything in the digital world was so much brighter, more beautiful. Well, it would be if not for the infected digimon that popped up everywhere trying to destroy everything.

Other then that, everything was just fine.

"Psst, Airdramon." The teen whispered softly as she knelt beside the dragon's head and placed her hand upon her white helmet, "Are we still up for tonight?"

A series of twitches ran through the dragon's large body and Airdramon's eye slowly cracked open and she mumbled, "Yeah, but remember, I'm dropping you off for a few hours, no way am I landing in that frightening place."

Amanda sighed, "It's not supposed to be something to be afraid of, the digital world just makes it seem all dark and dreary."

"Any house of the dead is dark and dreary, but yes, I will transport you there tonight."

"Thanks." Amanda said with a grateful smile, "I appreciate it."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The night came slowly, and as Amanda watched the starlit sky for Airdramon, concern filled her. What if the digimon forgot to come?

She began to nervously pull at the grass on the hill that stood over the lake. Her tension seemed to lessen at the sound of the blades coming from the ground, as if it had a soothing quality. It reminded her strangely of the real world. She recalled going to a ranch in Kansas before her parents started working on the Digital World. She would lie down in the grass and watch the horses as they chomped on the fresh green grass around her. It was a good memory.

Her thoughts were torn back to the present situation as the flying serpent's undulating form blotted out some of the stars. She ran right over the cliff and landed on Airdramon's spine as she dived past her. The two were off without a word, rising higher into the air past the leafy canopy.

Amanda enjoyed the night breeze that pressed against her face and snaked through her long hair. Two weeks ago she couldn't have even imagined flying upon the backs of dragons, and now she was doing it as if she had been riding them her entire life.

She breathed in the delicious, clear air and allowed her worries to fade away in her mind so she could further enjoy the journey. Her eyes lifted towards the sky. _Wow…the stars look beautiful tonight._ She smiled. Even the moon was full, as if it too wanted to enjoy the pleasures of the peaceful darkness.

"We're just above the cemetery now, Amanda, hang on tight, and get ready to leap off.

The large dragon arched her body upwards and then formed a "U" in the air as she dived straight town towards the ground, allowing her tail to maneuver her body to stay in balance. A few yards from the ground, she stretched her wings and pulled her body upwards, slapping her tail against the ground to keep aloft as she zoomed across the graveyard.

Amanda planted her feet against Airdramon's back and leapt off to fall upon the soft grass that covered the graveyard.

She felt Airdramon's plumed tail softly graze her shoulder and within seconds, there was no more sign of her source of transportation. Now she was alone for a couple hours. Alone with just her thoughts, her parents, and the Lord.

She treaded slowly towards the small white cross that stood up from the ground, careful not to disturb the delicate balance of the graveyard with her footsteps. When she reached the monument, she fell to her knees and folded her hands upon her lap, and whispered a soft prayer for her lost parents.

"Dear Lord, I'm sorry for the way I've been thinking of my parents these past few weeks. It's just…they hurt me, and I don't know if I'll ever be the same because of it…I feel so lost and abandoned…They never showed interest in what I did…or who I was. I…I pray that you will guide me, and…and if my parents are up there with you, please tell them that I love them."

A shaky sigh slowly slipped past her lips, but she continued in a stronger voice, "Please give me the courage I need to carry out my purpose in this world. I hope that I may make a difference in the lives of all the digimon I meet."

She made a sign of the cross and placed her hand upon the center of the cross, on which her parents' names were carefully carved. She hoped that her prayer was heard, and a small tear began to roll down her face.

"How sweet…"

Amanda started in surprise and turned her head to see a shadowy figure, standing above her. The moon's rays were shining down upon her, but the one who spoke was standing just outside the light, so she couldn't see who had disturbed her.

"You humans are pathetic. Relying on beings that don't even exist to help you with everyday life." The creature's voice was distinctly feminine, and it was filled with revulsion, "I'm sure you're precious God can't save you here."

The tamer's heart pounded as she slowly stood up and took a step back, standing beside the grave in case she had to run, "Wh..who are you? What are you doing in this sacred place?" she asked, her tone demanding an answer.

The ominous shape stepped forward into the light, and a humanoid digimon, all dressed in black, sneered down at the young girl, "You know who I am, I'm sure the game your parents created has my wonderful form within it."

Amanda glared angrily at the digimon and clenched her fists, "LadyDevimon…I ask once again," she said, her voice rising as her fear grew, "What are you doing here?"

The female digimon just grinned and ran a finger over the white cross, causing the paint to melt and boil beneath her touch, "Graveyards at night are always homes to ghouls and ghosts who live off death. I expect that this memorial will hold your name soon," she cast her red eyes towards the girl, "Once I'm through with you."

Amanda watched, paralyzed with fear, as LadyDevimons left hand began to morph into a gleaming, black spike. The digimon lifted it up in front of her and ran a finger across it, her lips curling in a fanged grin, "Poor human, all alone in a cemetery with no digimon to defend her." Her eyes narrowed and she slashed the sword-like arm through the air before allowing it to rest at her side, "I'll give you a chance to run, but it won't do you much good." Her sharp teeth gleamed dangerously in the moonlight, "I can sense your terror."

Amanda began to step back and she turned and sprinted away from the digimon, feeling her heart pumping from the shock and dread she was feeling. She never expected to be attacked by a digimon in a holy place like this cemetery, yet now she was being attacked. With no friends to defend her, she was on her own within the shadowy grounds.

"Lord…please help me!" she cried to the heavens as she ran, "I can't do this on my own!"

"Darkness Wave!"

The tamer couldn't help but look back as the demonic digimon shouted the attack. The shrieks of bats met her ears and she threw her hands over her head as hundreds of tiny, furry bodies surrounded her, biting and clawing at her arms as she tried to swipe them away.

"Ha, worthless creature!" LadyDevimon's voice rang out clearly through the empty graveyard, "You can't even protect yourself against my bat horde! And you're supposed to be the chosen one in the prophesy?" Her mocking laugh pierced through the shrieks of the bats, "I can't believe the Demon Lords sent me to destroy you. A rookie could probably kill you without even trying!"

Amanda tried to ignore her and ran into a crypt before straining to close the door behind her. She shoved harder, feeling her arms ache as the pattering sounds of the bats hitting the door met her ears.

The door slammed shut and she fell to her knees on the cold hard floor, contemplating on what to do. She couldn't stay in here forever, but maybe Airdramon would see that LadyDevimon was here and find out what was going on?

"Do you think something like this can keep me out?" the evil digimon's voice came as if they were in the stone walls with her, "Shadow Mist!"

Plumes of smoke began to curl in from cracks in the brick, wavering towards the girl like serpents as they slipped through. Amanda gasped and leapt to her feet before backing off, feeling the temperatures around her dropping as more of the fog entered the room.

"Watch out behind you, Vile Wing!"

Amanda cried out in pain as LadyDevimons sharp nails slashed her back, causing her to stumble forward. She crashed into the ground and pushed herself to her knees, her fingers grasping at the ground as her back stung where the claws pierced her skin.

The mist began to clear up and Amanda placed one shaky foot on the ground to boost herself back to her feet again. She placed a hand on the wall and slowly turned to face the digimon, her eyes narrowed as she took in sharp breaths, "Why do you want to kill me?" she asked, trying to straighten up, "I haven't done anything to you!"

LadyDevimon smirked and held up her spiked hand in front of her, "It's not what you've done; it's what you might do. The Seven Demon Lords can't afford to have you existing, which is why I'm here now." She pointed the spear-like arm at the tamer and began to walk forward, "I don't have to waste my valuable time explaining things to you! I'm here for one reason and one reason alone, to make you draw your last breath!"

Amanda gasped and ducked to the side as the blade arched near her head. She threw a kick at LadyDevimons stomach and ducked to the ground before twirling her leg beneath the demon, causing her to trip.

Quickly, she rushed forward and pushed open the door, feeling time slip away as it slowly ground against the floor. She managed to open it wide enough to slip through and she began to stumble towards the entrance of the cemetery, hoping that she might be able to make an escape.

"Evil Wing!"

Amanda gasped as a large phantom appeared before her and wrapped itself around her body, causing her to fall face first into the ground. She gritted her teeth as it tightened around her, threatening to crush her in its coils. She breathed out and closed her eyes tightly as it constricted, keeping her from taking in another breath.

"Halt! I want to finish her off!"

The phantom slid off of the tamer, allowing the girl to take in a deep breath. LadyDevimon roughly kicked her onto her back and held a clawed hand upon her shoulder, holding the spike-like arm back like a loaded arrow.

"Goodbye, chosen one, no way can Kronosmon continue his plans now!"

Amanda's eyes widened in fear, "Wait! I'm not on Kronosmon's side!" she screamed.

"I know." LadyDevimon laughed, "Which makes destroying you all the more fun!"

She threw her arm forward to plunge the point into the tamer's chest, but Amanda lifted her hands and screamed, "Divine Flame!"

LadyDevimon's red eyes grew wide as golden red flames shot forth from the girl's hands, engulfing the demonic digimon. The flames began to flow over the tamer's arms, covering them in a red and gold glow.

"Augh! It's not possible!" LadyDevimon screeched as she held her claw before her face, trying to block out the light, "You're just a puny human!"

Amanda smirked, realizing her newfound powers. "Yeah, I may just be a puny human, but this human just learned a new trick!" She held out her arms towards LadyDevimon and shouted, "Sacred Waters!"

A large jet of water poured forth from the girl's hands, tackling into LadyDevimon with a force that sent her flying against a tombstone. Amanda lifted her hands to the sky and looked up as storm clouds began to brew up above, "Sanctified Lightning!"

Lightning struck her open palms and her arms shook from the force before she pushed it in a stream towards the fallen digimon.

LadyDevimons screams of pain met her ears, and Amanda felt a small hint of sympathy. However, as a thousand bats flew at her again, she realized that the digimon wouldn't stop at anything to kill her.

"Holy Ground!"

She placed the back of her hands on the ground and made a slow, lifting motion, feeling as if it were the ground beneath her that she was lifting up, instead of the earth on the sides of the graveyard.

Two human-sized boulders began to hover over the tombstones, barely grazing the tops of the highest crosses. They stopped in midair and then crashed together into LadyDevimon, sending her flying backwards.

The earth didn't fall in the graveyard, but flew back to its original place in the ground. Amanda breathed in deeply and ignored the beads of sweat that fell down the sides of her face. She looked at the digimon that began to stagger towards her, still ready to fight. She held one hand up into the air and a swirl of wind began to surround her hand.

"Heavenly Wind!"

The air around LadyDevimon began to swirl, pulling at her clothes and the phantom ghoul that floated behind her. The wind began to pick up speed and soon the demonic digimon was trapped in the swirling vortex.

"Divine Flame!"

The tamer shot a blast of fire into the vortex and LadyDevimon's outraged cries met her ears as data flew from the top of the twister. The attack slowly began to fade until the skies cleared and the tamer fell to her knees, her eyes drooping from exhaustion. The cuts that were on her back were no longer there, but she had no energy left within her. She closed her eyes and collapsed to the ground, her head resting next to the cross where the names of her parents were carefully carved.

She barely registered the flapping of wings and a gasp of shock before she completely succumbed to unconsciousness

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"How long has she been doing this?"

"For this past week, she figured she needed time for prayer and reflection, and thought that the cemetery would be the best place to do it. Apparently she was mistaken."

The voices were garbled and confused, Amanda had a hard time sorting out who spoke what, and what they meant by those empty words.

"Amanda, please be okay…"

That she heard, but she couldn't move in order to show him she understood. She tried speaking, and her words came out like a faint croak. Bringing up her energy, she tried it once again, hoping for a stronger response.

"I'm fine." She whispered as she cracked open an eye and winced as bright sunlight struck her cornea, "That hurt…"

"Yup! She's alright!" Dramon shouted. His tail began to wag like an excited dogs and he laughed, "You nearly gave us a scare, we were afraid you'd never wake up."

Amanda groaned and buried her face in the grass, "Yay…I can wake up but I can't move." She muttered sarcastically, "I was kind of hoping that having a new skill would be a good thing, not something that would nearly kill me when I use it." She muttered.

"Hmm?" everyone asked. When she gained enough energy to look up, she saw all of the digimon had completely blank looks on their faces, "Wait, so you…didn't see what happened…at all?" she inquired.

"Err…no." Airdramon muttered as she lowered her head to see the fallen tamer, "We figured you were attacked and the enemy ran away when they saw me in the air. But I didn't see any wounds on you, so I kind of wondered what happened."

Amanda sighed and allowed Dramon and Knightmon to help her up to a sitting position, where she immediately rested her arms on her crossed legs and slouched with her head barely lifted, "It's a long story…I gained these elemental powers from…from a friend. That's all I really know."

The digimon all frowned, realizing she wasn't in a good state to talk. Slowly they began to clear out, allowing her to sit and recover.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When everyone went off to do their own thing, Gomi came up to her and cleared his throat to get her attention. She had been staring at the sky for some time, and he was starting to worry.

"Hmm?" Amanda asked as she sat up cross-legged before she turned to him, "What's the matter."

The Gomamon placed his front paws over her leg and rested his head between them, "I was just wondering why you were so quiet. How come you went to the cementetery?" he asked in his own curious little way.

Amanda gave a weak smile and placed a hand on his head, "Cemetery…I don't know if you'll understand this, but I had parents that died before I came here. At least, I think they're dead. So I go to that place to remember them and to pray for them, so their souls will be in a better place."

Gomi sighed and his eyes became glazed over in thought, "My parents died too. My Mom was a Plesiomon, my dad a Zudomon. They fought against Kronosmons forces, but they weren't strong enough." He sighed sadly and closed his eyes, allowing a tear to fall to her dirt-covered jeans, "It's hard to let them go, but I feel that I shouldn't grieve, that they too are in a better place then this cruel world I live in."

Amanda looked at the small digimon as if truly seeing him for the first time. She thought at first that he was just a dorky little kid, almost like some of the kids she saw in the usual duels she had back home, but now he seemed more like her now that she took the time to talk to him. He too was alone, confused, and frightened.

"It's alright, Gomi." She whispered softly as she ran a hand over his bright red Mohawk, "We're a lot alike you and I, and together, we can overcome any problems we have." She sighed and looked up at the bright sky, "And someday, maybe we'll be rewarded for our efforts."

The small digimon just purred and his breathing became even. Amanda grinned "I'll make sure you'll have the chance to live in a bright, new world. I have to try my best to stop Kronosmon, and free the digital world from his evil grasp."

It was a promise she'd be sure to keep.


	5. Chapter 5: Bonds That Bring Us Together

**Yay ^^ Next chapter! This is where things start to get a bit interesting, so hopefully I'll have readers sooner or later :P Comments and Criticisms are awesome, so keep 'em coming! And Merry Christmas to all of you ^^**

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**Chapter 5: **The Bonds that Bring Us Together

"Do you have any…Coelamon?"

"Go Fish…Do you have a…Gesomon?"

"Go Fish…How about a Seadramon?"

"Notta." Amanda gave a sigh and threw the home-made cards on the ground, "I'm bored now…It's been what, three days since our last digimon encounter? I should be happy, but I'm tired of the lack of action."

Dramon nodded in agreement and lifted one of the cards to his eyes. His tamer, out of boredom, took up some of the paper and colored pencils that the Gazimon had provided upon their arrival and made up a bunch of cards in a game that she used to play back at her home.

"These are really good." Smiling, Dramon placed the card gently back on the pile and looked up at his tamer, his tail wagging back and forth, "So…how about we go for a nice joy-flight? Who knows? Maybe out of luck a giant digimon will attack out of nowhere." He chuckled softly and gathered the cards up awkwardly in his claws, "What do you say?"

Amanda smiled and assisted him, "That sounds like a great idea. We better be careful what we wish for, though. We've had some close calls in these last few days…" Frowning, she recalled the latest Apemon incident. She was sore for days after she had been knocked off of Drakemon's back.

"We sure have, but we always come out on top." Giving her a toothy grin, the dragon looked over at the side of the glade where the three Apemon brothers were chopping down some trees to create makeshift rooms, "At least we have a nice civilization growing here. I was beginning to think I was going to be stuck watching the little ones on my own for a while."

The girl chuckled and pat his head, "Imagine what Seadramon must have felt before we came here…"

"I know." Dramon said with a snicker, "Poor guy."

Amanda smiled and pressed a button on her D-Watch, "Alright, let's go ahead and take that flight. I can sure use the wide open spaces right about now."

Dramon nodded as he began to glow with the strange, warm light, "Dramon digivolve to…Drakemon!"

The larger dragon unfurled his large wings in a might snap and stretched out his long neck to the sun. The tamer watched him with an amazed look in her eyes and climbed onto his back, feeling the muscles on the side of his throat bulge slightly, "You're one amazing beast…do you know that?"

Drakemon chuckled, his voice low and melodious, "Why thank you, but you better watch the compliments. I don't want to seem too vain." He smirked and crouched low to the ground.

The girl gave him a gentle pat on the side of his neck, "Oh trust me, you are." She giggled and held on tightly as the dragon leapt into the air and flapped his wings. The wind was knocked out of her for a brief moment, so she took in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out in a relieved sigh, "Man, I need to get used to those takeoffs."

Drakemon laughed heartily, "That's what you get for calling me vain."

Amanda shook her head, unable to contain her grin, "So, where are we off to? Just a nice little flight?"

The dragon digimon nodded, "Yeah, I was thinking of heading back to Blossomon Forest, you know, where we met Knightmon?" He chuckled, "I heard the guardian is really kind. Legend says she's as old as the forest itself, having been formed right within it upon the creation of the digital world."

Amanda gave a weak smile, "So…she had been created by my mother specially for that place…" Her smile faded as she recalled her parents. Any thought of them brought a wave of anger and sadness. She shook it off and leaned back, taking in a breath of fresh air, "She sounds like an interesting digimon to speak to."

Drakemon nodded and began to glide down towards the earth, "I think we're close. The forest is pretty thick, I'm going to land in the clearing that we saw earlier. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in my digivolve form. I hear Blossomon is pretty strict about damaging her home."

"Alright, but any signs of trouble and I won't hesitate to press the button."

Drakemon nodded, "That's fine with me. But I doubt we'll find trouble here." As he dived beneath the clouds, he righted himself in the air and began to flap his wings quicker than usual, lowering himself to the ground slowly and steadily.

As his feet met the ground, Amanda slid off of his back and watched as he transformed into his smaller form. Dramon let out a yawn and stretched his wings, "Well, at least it's a nice day for a stroll. Not a cloud in sight."

His tamer nodded and headed towards the forest, "Yeah…I don't know…something seems a bit…off." She looked in the woods and noticed a slight movement near one of the trees. Feeling her heart skip a beat, she shook her head, "Guess I'm just being paranoid. The lack of battles lately is making me uneasy."

Dramon rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Oh come on, there's nothing scary about a walk in the wild. Think of it as an adventure!"

The irritated look on the brown-haired girls face went unseen as the small dragon went ahead of her, "Yes…because this whole digital world experience hasn't been an adventure in the slightest."

The forest itself was huge…not as large as the one Eden rested in, but the trees still towered over the two. A few digital bugs skittered here and there on the branches, paying no heed to the two intruders in their home turf. The light of the clearing behind them faded with each step they took, and soon the thick foliage was surrounding them on all sides.

"I feel a bit claustrophobic…" Amanda muttered as she looked back. The only light that came into the area was what filtered through the tops of the trees. The shafts of sun cast a mystical light on the bushes and trees around them.

"I don't see what a fat jolly man in a red suit has to do with anything." Dramon said with a shrug.

The girl smacked herself in the forehead, "I didn't say…never mind. Let's just keep going. This place really is beautiful…but I can't help but think that some of these plants look pretty angry." She motioned to a thorny shrub that seemed to reach out towards them as they walked by. The girl shuddered and stepped in closer to her digimon.

"Pah, all forests have plants like that. Stop being such a scaredy cat and come on. We're getting deeper into the forest now."

The girl took a deep breath and nodded, "I'm sorry. I've been a bid edgy lately. This walk should be relaxing and fun, not nerve-wracking."

The trees were growing thicker the deeper they traveled into the forest. The sun was peeking in at fewer intervals, and the plants around them seemed to be closing in on all sides.

Amanda gazed up as the trees began to sway and moan, "Dramon…something isn't right…"

The small red dragon paused and looked around, his spines twitching as he heard the creaking of one of the tall giants, "I know…Oh crap! Press the button!"

"What?!"

"I said press the button!"

The tamer did as he said in one swift motion. The small dragon didn't wait until the glow subsided before he scooped up his tamer in his arms and took off in the air as Drakemon. A loud crash sounded behind them. Amanda snuck a glance and felt her heart sink as a long arm-like branch slowly lifted itself from the ground where it struck, dirt tumbling off of its bark-covered form.

"What the heck was that?!" Amanda tried to take a few breaths to calm her beating heart. The dragon's grasp tightened around her waist as his wings scraped against the trees, sending a spray of leaves falling to the ground.

"That was a tree…a massive, faceless tree!" Drakemon's voice was urgent with a slight hint of fear. It unnerved his tamer…she had never thought the large dragon would be afraid of anything.

The whole forest seemed to come alive as Drakemon ducked and dived beneath outreaching branches, his tamer clutched tightly in his claws. Vines from a nearby tree lashed out, threatening to entangle his wings, but a quick swipe of his tail whacked them away.

"Drakemon! Watch out!" Amanda pointed ahead to two branches that were intertwined, ready to clothesline the dragon as he flew to them.

Drakemon dived down and arched his back as the branches nearly smacked into him. He looked back and pulled his head back to shoot a stream of fire, but stopped himself quickly, "If I shoot fire at these things the whole forest will go up in flames! We need to get out of here!"

Below them, three long spears of bamboo shot into the air, the tips sharpened to a dangerous point. Drakemon's eyes widened in shock as he banked in the air. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough and two of the spears pierced right through the thick membranes of his wings.

The large dragon screeched in pain and tried his best to flap his wings and get above the canopy of the jungle. Amanda clutched tightly to the claws that held her, but the spears sticking out of the digimon's wings caused him to twist awkwardly in the air before hurtling down to the ground.

Amanda gasped as she felt Drakemon's claws pull away. She crashed onto the grass-covered ground roughly, grunting as the wind was knocked out of her. She could hear the sound of grass tearing as the dragon rolled on the ground to try and regain his footing, "Amanda! Run!"

The girl didn't think twice before she scrambled to her feet, feeling the air stir as a long branch tried to swipe at her. As she leapt over a root, it lifted from the ground, catching her foot.

"Gah!" The girl cried out at she crashed to the ground, feeling the grass beneath her starting to crawl over her sides. She pushed herself to all fours, snapping the thin blades before they could trap her. She could hear Drakemon running behind her, his heavy breathing urging her to quicken her pace.

Light filtered in up ahead and the girl felt sudden relief as she rushed forward, "We're almost there, Drakemon! Almost there!" She felt a claw-like branch snag at her back, but she refused to stop, feeling her legs working overtime as they strived to break her free from the living forest.

As she made it into the clearing, her heart sank as she realized she rushed right into a trap. Vines of all sorts wound around the trees surrounding the bowl-like opening. The canopy above was thin, but the trees seemed to lean towards each other, blocking off more of the light. The ground twitched and writhed as thick vines began to rise from their resting place on the ground.

Drakemon rushed through as well, his momentum carrying him right into the center of the trap. The vines sprung up like snakes, flying over the dragon's back before landing on the other side, burrowing deep into the ground.

"What?! Get off me!" The dragon tried rearing up, but another thick creeper looped around his hindquarters, forcing him to the ground, "Amanda! Get your butt out of this place!"

"No! I'm not leaving you!" The girl ran towards her partner, feeling the ground shift and slide beneath her. The dragon was soon covered in all sizes of vines that held him firmly to the ground. He could barely move a muscle as they tightened and held him firm.

Amanda reached forward to pull one of the smaller vines off, but a long green tendril shot out from one of the trees, wrapping around her wrist. Gasping, the tamer tried pulling away, but another leafy cord burst from the tree and wrapped around the other. The girl tried to walk forward, feeling the strain of the vines against her arms, but a choking pressure against her throat sent her reeling back.

The tendrils began to pull taut, drawing her towards the tree that they came from. As her back hit the trunk, she felt some more of the vines creep behind her back, wrapping around the tamer's waist. The girl struggled to break free, feeling her arms being pulled firmly behind her. Her heart sank as she realized she couldn't move anymore. Helplessness overwhelmed her as she looked at Drakemon's muzzled snout. His eyes shone sadly in the thinning light, as if to say he was sorry.

"What did Mother catch us today?"

"Is it food? It certainly feels like it…"

"One feels like food…the other feels like a captive. Mom says we can eat the big one, keep the small one for Master."

Amanda gasped as six flower buds began to rise from the vines. They had no eyes, but rows of sharp teeth were revealed as they conversed among each other. The petals around their faces would have been beautiful, if they weren't attached to the monstrous heads within.

"Shall we ask the forest to take her to Mother?" One of the buds asked, giving a toothy grin towards the trapped tamer, "She will be happy to see what we caught."

The one closest to it nodded and slithered towards the dragon, "Yes, we shall have our meal afterward. It shall only take a few moments."

The girl's eyes widened in shock. The vines around her tightened once again and she felt herself being pulled back into the darkness of the forest, "Drakemon! Drakemon get out of there!"

* * *

Drakemon tried to lift his head as he watched his tamer fade from view, her voice growing dimmer and dimmer as she was taken deeper into the forest. He tried to roar out in anger, but the vines around his mouth kept him from saying a word. Only angry growls came out as he tried to wriggle out of the restraining bonds.

"Don't struggle, dragon. It'll only make things worse for you." One of the buds snickered as it wove through the air in front of his face, "You'll make a wonderful meal for us. We've been waiting for some foolish travelers to enter our forest all day! How fortunate that it's a digimon bearing the one we are looking for!"

The dragon growled and tried gnawing on the vines. Tiny pinpricks of pain began to spread all over his body and he realized in terror that the vines were beginning to grow thorns. He could see out of the corner of his eye the lengthy spike-like growths as they poked through his hide, slipping easily between his scales. He clenched his teeth at the pain, feeling data flow down his sides in tiny rivulets.

"Ooh…look at that data…so fresh…"

"Easy…we all must take turns."

"But it looks so delicious!"

Drakemon growled threateningly, feeling his bindings draw tighter around him, pushing the thorns deeper into his hide.

"Let's eat him now!"

The dragon moaned in pain as one of the blossoms dug its teeth into his side. He could feel his data flowing from the wound, and he tried shaking the plant-like monster off. Another painful bite made itself known on his shoulder and he hissed as a chunk of his flesh tore off in the beast's mouth.

"Yum…this is delicious!"

Drakemon shivered as the pain began to overwhelm him. He just wished they'd get it over with instead of picking at him little by little.

"I want to try!"

The dragon braced himself for another blow, feeling the data coming down in greater amounts.

"Wild Nail Rush!"

Cries of pain met Drakemon's ears, causing his eyes to snap open. One of the blossoms fell to the ground, it's stem a tiny stump as it rolled around on the vines below it, "Not fair! You came out of nowhere!" It cried out at the unseen attacker.

Drakemon felt the vines around him loosen as something clawed its way through them. Lifting himself to all fours, the dragon shook off the tattered plants and turned his eyes to see a cat-like digimon leaping at one of the blossoms, chomping down hard with it's sharp teeth.

The dragon squinted his eyes. The cat's body was alive with flames that crackled and sparked, but didn't burn the plants around her. The markings around her face were dark blue, contrasting greatly with the red of the rest of her fur. As Drakemon scanned her, he realized in shock that there was a human boy riding on her back.

"Wh…what?" The dragon's jaw dropped as he watched the fiery digimon maul the stem of the toothy bud. The tiny plant hopped up and down, cursing and shouting at the digimon that dared to cut it short. "Let me go you overgrown smelly feline! My mother will hear about this! You will be feasted on by all the plants in this jungle!"

The Lynxmon grinned dangerously and placed a paw down on the stumpy stem of the blossom, "Would you rather I burn you to a little crisp? Being silent would be in your best interest right now." She turned her head to the dragon and lifted a brow, "Are you alright?"

The boy on her back turned his head to the dragon. His hazel eyes looked alert, and he leaned down to whisper something in Lynxmon's pointed ear.

"No…I don't think he's a danger to us. Just look at him, the big brute couldn't even keep himself from being eaten by these tiny flowers." The fiery cat purred at the dragon's indignant look. She then addressed him directly, "What brings you into a forest like this? All digimon around here knew that Blossomon's Forest had been known for destroying anything that came within in these last few days."

Drakemon growled, "I must have missed the memo. I don't have time to talk right now, my partner is in danger." He tried not to let the cat rile him up. He wasn't sure how the human got to this world, or what he was doing in the forest…he just knew his tamer was in trouble.

"Partner?" The boy spoke this time, and he ran a hand through his brown hair, a confused look in his eyes, "Are you telling me there's another human in this God-forsaken place?"

Drakemon nodded and crawled through the opening in the trees where Amanda was pulled in, "Yes, and she needs my help. So if you don't mind…" Without another word he disappeared into the foliage, his claws tearing through anything that got in his way.

Lynxmon looked back up at her tamer, a mischievous smile on her face, "So, Jaden, want to go investigate? The big oaf had giant spears in his wings, I doubt that he'll get very far."

The boy nodded and sat up straight, his hands gently holding onto the soft fur beneath the lynx's flames, "Let's go…"

* * *

Amanda groaned as she opened her eyes. A sharp pain welled up on her head from where her head smacked into a branch during her drag deeper into the forest. At first she could only see darkness, but as a the trees above swayed, small bits of light made their way through. A circular wall of trees surrounded the glade she was in, similar to Eden, only much smaller. A large plant stood in the center before her. Multiple vines from its form trailed to the ground and were either buried or stretched deep into the woods.

"Is…is that what's been causing this forest to attack us?" The girl tried to move her arms, but they were still bound by the vines. She could feel the trunk of a tree behind her, she still had no chance of breaking free, "Come on, Drakemon…I need you." She closed her eyes and took in a shaky breath. She wished she could send flames dancing across her arms to burn the vines…but if one flame starts, there would be no stopping it from taking over the entire forest.

"Forget about escaping, child. It is no use."

The girl felt her heart skip a beat as the voice seemed to rise from the plant standing before her. The large flower began to turn towards her, and her eyes widened as a jagged mouth opened below glowing red eyes.

"I am the matriarch of this whole forest. Every leaf bends to my will, and every bough swings when I command it." A dark chuckle escaped from the maw of the creature, "Lord Kronosmon was hoping you and that dragon would be foolish enough to step into my forest." The Blossomon raised an arm-like vine to lift the young girl's chin, "I apologize, but I think my children may have made a snack of your big friend. They should be back any minute now for you to meet."

Amanda tore her gaze away from the Blossomon, feeling her heart skip a beat, "Drakemon's fine! He'll be here any minute to help me out of this!"

The flower laughed. The vines around the girl tightened and she gritted her teeth as she fought to breathe properly, "You foolish child. Do you really think that dragon can stand a chance against an entire forest? His data will be absorbed by my kids soon. We might have a bit of fun with you before our Master sends someone to pick you up." Tiny thorns began to grow around the vines covering the tamer, "I sure do enjoy the sound screams that come from my prey. I enjoyed every single digimon that I squashed within my forest…I'm sure Kronosmon won't mind if I inflict a few minor wounds on you while I wait."

Amanda bit her lip, but couldn't keep back the weak whimper that escaped her mouth as the thorns dug into her skin. She could feel warm blood trickle down her neck and arms, "Stop it…please…I know you're being controlled…try to fight it…"

Blossomon snickered and the trees swayed around her, "Controlled? What do you mean? I should've rid myself of intruders long ago!" The digimon plucked off a few of the light blue petals around her neck, holding them within vine-like hands, "I wonder how much damage this can cause to a human…" Her eyes gleamed dangerously as she held one of the petals back, "Spiral Flower!"

Amanda's eyes widened as the plant-like digimon released the petal. It came whizzing towards her like a saw blade, heading right for her shoulder. She closed her eyes, expecting a sharp pain to tear through her, but a loud roar tore through the silence of the glade, "Draconic Swipe!"

The girl opened her eyes to see a large, scale-covered claw grab the petal right before it could make contact with her. Drakemon stood on three legs, glaring at the Blossomon that dared attack his tamer, "You may have had the element of surprise on us before, but now I will defeat you!" The anger was clear in his voice which was tinted with a dangerous growl.

Blossomon glared at the dragon and her vines dug deeper into the soil, "My children! What have you done with my children?!"

A feminine voice rose behind the overgrown flower, "I believe that was my fault. I didn't kill them, only gave them a less-than gentle pruning." Amanda watched as a fiery lynx appeared from behind her, and her eyes widened as she saw the brown-haired boy sitting on the digimon's back.

"There's no way…didn't Seadramon say…"

"_No other human may enter the digital world if your parents haven't meant it to be."_

The girl blinked and shook her head. She would have to seek answers later. Right now a bunch of painful vines were keeping her from looking for her target, the Leech that was controlling the flowery digimon.

Lynxmon leapt into action, bounding over the Blossomon's head to land in front of the trapped tamer. Lifting her claw, the cat-like digimon brought it down on the tightly wrapped vines, slicing through them in one fell swipe.

Sweet relief flooded through the girl as the thorns withdrew themselves from her skin. She rubbed the feeling back into her arms and turned as another group of vines struck out towards her like angry serpents. Lifting her arms, she felt the water within the plants and drew it out from their cells, watching as they withered and crashed to the ground, dry and useless.

"My beautiful foliage! You'll pay for that, human!" Blossomon drew one of her thorn-covered vines from the ground and whipped it at the girl. However, Jaden suddenly leapt before her and grabbed hold of the vine before it could strike, "Heh, you don't think I'm going to let you have all the fun, do you?" He looked back at the girl with a smirk before turning his attention to the overgrown plant.

Blossomon growled and sent another vine shooting towards the boy. However, he caught that one in his other hand and pulled back roughly, the muscles beneath his skin bulging slightly as inhuman strength allowed him to rip the vines right out from beneath the head of the flower.

Amanda's jaw dropped, "How…how could you do that?"

The boy smirked and leapt onto Lynxmon as she rushed by, "You're not the only one with powers!"

Drakemon rolled his eyes before charging at the Blossomon. The angered flower sent more of her saw-like petals flying at the dragon, but he nimbly dodged them, causing them to saw through the trunks of the trees standing behind him.

"No! My beautiful forest! You monsters are ruining everything!" Blossomon roared out and lashed her vines out at the Lynxmon who came at her with claws outstretched. Her attack struck the side of the cat, sending her sprawling against a nearby tree. The bushes around it came to life and tried grasping at her with their gnarled branches, but the lynx scrambled away and shook off the attack, standing next to Drakemon for a double attack.

"Pollinosis Shower!" Blossomon opened her mouth and breathed out a mist of pollen towards Drakemon and Lynxmon. The dragon's eyes began to water and he began to cough, feeling his throat swell from the pollen.

Lynxmon shook her head as she sniffed the pollen. She closed her eyes tightly and let out a loud sneeze, sending her and her rider flying back. Jaden did his best to cover his mouth and nose with his arm, but his eyes were watering as well from the yellow mist.

Amanda squinted her eyes as two beads of red made themselves clear in the cloud of yellow pollen. Aiming her watch at them, she shot a beam into the dust and watched as the eyes soon vanished, as well as the red glow in Blossomon's gaze.

The pollen-filled air soon cleared and the purified digimon looked around, concern shining in her deep blue eyes, "My goodness, what has happened here? I believe I may have caused a great catastrophe." She looked at the digimon that seemed to have terrible allergies. Her vines, now smooth and gentle, wrapped around them in a motherly grasp, "I'm sorry young ones. I don't know what came over me. I hope I haven't caused too much damage."

Drakemon wiped at his eyes with the back of his claw. The bamboo in his wings began to slide out, but his wounds still poured bits of data now and then, "It…it was a close call, but we'll be fine. At least I will." He looked over at his tamer, noticing the small beads of blood dripping from her, "Are you okay?"

The girl gave a weak smile and nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked at the new tamer and his digimon, and frowned, "I'm curious as to where these two came from…were they the ones that broke you free?"

Drakemon nodded and motioned to the cat-like digimon, "This is Lynxmon and her partner…er…I didn't catch your name."

"Jaden…" The boy replied simply. He turned his gaze to the Blossomon and smiled, "I hope you're feeling alright. Your children are lying in a clearing not too far from here." He motioned behind him, "We had to chop them down a bit to keep them from mauling the dragon, but they should be relatively unharmed."

The large flower smiled kindly and bowed her head, "Thank you, young humans. I'm so glad you got rid of that nasty creature." She looked at one of the vines where the leech had been destroyed, "I will do my best to make sure my forest is inhabitable once again…for starters, let's shine some light in here. It's too dark for my children to grow strong and healthy."

Lifting two vines from the ground, Blossomon closed her eyes and hummed a sweet, melodious tune. As she did so, the trees around them drew their roots out of the ground and began to crawl back, spacing each other out in order to allow the sun to shine brightly down on the Blossomon's beautiful petals.

Amanda's eyes shone as she gazed upon the true nature of the digimon that had so cruelly attacked her and Drakemon before. It was amazing what a small beam of light could do…the entire forest seemed to have sighed in relief as the shrubs retained their shape and the vines remained in their rightful places on the trees that harbored them.

"Listen…" Lynxmon whispered and looked up at the sky as digital birds began to flit and dive through the trees, returning safely to their old homes. Their songs were loud and joyful, filling the jungle with lively music.

"It's beautiful…" Drakemon smiled as he watched a few rabbits come out of their burrows, rushing to the nearest blades of grass to begin snacking on the plants around them, "It's just as the rumors said…I'm glad we got to see it like this."

Amanda smiled and nodded. Her eyes met Jaden's for a brief moment and she tore her gaze away, blushing slightly, "It reminds me of home…when I would take walks in the park…only it was never this beautiful." She smiled at Blossomon who grinned back, "Thank you so much…I think it was worth the cuts and scrapes that we received. Now hopefully Kronosmon will think twice before messing with you."

The flower digimon laughed and nodded, "He sure will. I hope you travel safely home. Let me patch you up a bit…Healing Pollinosis!"

Tilting her large head back so that it was completely supported by the vine-like stems below, Blossomon opened her mouth wide and unleashed a shower of blue pollen that fell upon the tamers and their digimon like gentle snowflakes.

Drakemon looked back in amazement as the pain from the gouges he received slowly faded. The large wounds began to repair themselves quickly, the data rebuilding his form so that gleaming scales replaced the tattered and torn ones. The thick holes in his wings soon patched up as well, and he gave them a few good flaps, feeling the pain vanish as if it had never been there in the first place, "Wow…that's amazing!"

Amanda closed her eyes and spread her arms as the pollen gently alighted on the wounds she received from the thorns. The deep cuts began to close up, her cells repairing themselves much more quick than they had ever done before. She felt refreshed and renewed, and as she opened her eyes, she watched as Lynxmon's flames burned brighter and Jaden's eyes became clearer.

Finished with her assisting power, Blossomon brought her head back down to it's normal level and smiled at the two tamers and their partners, "Now you get home and get some rest. I'm sure you'll have plenty to tell to your friends back at your home." Smiling, she patted each of her rescuers on the head and motioned to a path that was cleared for them in the forest, "I hope you have a safe journey. Please remain safe, and give Kronosmon a nice big kick in the tuckas for me!"

Amanda chuckled and climbed aboard Drakemon's back, taking in a deep breath of the fresh woodsy air, "I will do my best, Blossomon. You stay safe as well, and take good care of this forest while we're gone."

Her gaze turned to Jaden and Lynxmon. The boy mounted the cat-like digimon and the two began to ride off, "Hey, where do you think you're going?"

The fiery digimon paused and looked back along with her tamer before speaking, "We must continue our search for more of these infected digimon. We have no time to spare."

The female tamer frowned, "But…don't you guys have a place to stay? We have a nice hidden rebel base in a nearby jungle. I was hoping you'd stay with us at Eden."

Jaden lifted a brow, "Eden?" He looked down at Lynxmon, who gave a small smile and nodded, "It's been a while since we've had a place to rest…" He turned his gaze back to the girl and nodded softly, "We'd be glad to come join you. Besides, two tamers to fight off these infected digimon are better than one, huh?"

Lynxmon snickered, "Even though her digimon is a big dope."

"I heard that!"

"Good, you better get used to it, because you're going to be stuck with us for a looong time."


End file.
